Hiring, Job Descriptions, and Contracts

The Performance Standards offer programs considerable latitude in how they work with mental health consultants, including with respect to who should be hired, what these individuals should do, and how to structure the work of the consultants. However, research and practice in MHC reveal that certain consultation approaches may be more effective in Head Start settings. Administrators can support effective early childhood MHC by establishing the administrative structures, procedures, and policies that reinforce these best practices.

Some Head Start programs directly employ a mental health professional to provide early childhood MHC services, while others contract with a mental health professional who is self-employed or employed by an outside agency or organization. A Head Start program that directly employs a mental health professional to fulfill the role of a mental health consultant will need to create a job description that specifically outlines the qualifications, roles, and responsibilities of the individual as an employee of the Head Start program. In contrast, a Head Start program that contracts for MHC services will need to solicit services through a request for proposal (RFP) that outlines the types of services it is seeking. Then, once the Head Start program identifies an agency or individual to provide the MHC services, the program will need to create a contract — a formal agreement between the program and the contracted mental health consultant or agency — that outlines the scope of services that the contracted mental health consultant will provide.

Job descriptions and contracts are essential documents for implementing, supporting, and evaluating the work of the consultant. Through the job description and the contract, the Head Start program conveys the program’s vision of mental health services it had developed through the strategic planning process. The documents then become a roadmap for the consultant in creating and implementing early childhood MHC services that reflect the agency’s vision for mental health. The documents can also be useful for communicating the roles and responsibilities of the consultant to program staff who will be partnering with that person. The Head Start program can also use the job description or contract to evaluate the degree to which the consultant is providing the types of consultation services that the program intended.

Last Updated: August 6, 2025