Serious emotional and behavioral concerns in childhood and adolescence strike many people as something extremely tough to address. Sometimes, though, it takes just a simple idea to make a big difference. In the case of meeting the needs of children and youth who struggle with complex mental and behavioral health challenges, the topic of a summit we helped host at the Capitol this week, the simple idea was bringing together the all of the people and systems who have a role in assisting these young people and their families and getting them to work together.
Children don’t just receive services that impact their mental well-being through the public or private mental health systems. A myriad of state and local agencies provide services that address or affect thesocial and emotional development and mental health of Texas kids. The state is considering significant budget cuts to many of them, which if enacted, would result in about 2,000 children and youth losing access to community mental health services, 17,000 infants and toddlers with developmental delays or disabilities not receiving early intervention services to help them reach their potential, students at risk of dropping out not getting help that has been shown to keep them in school, and programs to prevent abuse, neglect and delinquency being cut by a staggering 85%.
The severe shortage of mental health professionals in Texas (especially in rural areas and in professionals specialized in children and youth) has left child care providers, schools, and primary care doctors--and even in many cases the child welfare and juvenile justice systems--to become the "de facto" mental health providers in Texas. Some may have training to address behavioral health concerns, or how to collaborate and coordinate services so that youth and families get the help they need to keep them in their homes and communities. Unfortunately, most do not. As a result, Texas misses valuable opportunities to identify problems early and refer young people for treatment of their mental health concerns.
Family, friends, neighborhood supports, community and faith-based networks, parent associations, and mentoring programs--all of these players can help children with complex problems and their families build on their strengths and manage their challenges.
The coordinated "wrapping around" of formal and informal services and supports makes sure youth and their families’ actual needs are addressed in their homes and communities, preventing many from having to be hospitalized or enter the child welfare or juvenile justice systems. The system of care approach addressed during the summit provides for this, partnering with youth and families to developing a plan of care that provides effective services in a culturally and language-appropriate way.
Five communities in Texas already have been successful in securing federal grants, as well as local and private resources, to support their ongoing systems of care efforts, bringing in millions of dollars to the state. Still, the vast majority of youth and families in Texas do not have access to this promising approach in providing services. Those with me at the Capitol on Tuesday heard from national, state, and community leaders, as well as parents and young people served by systems of care, to learn about ways Texas can better incorporate the system of carevalues into its various service delivery systems and to identify ways to strengthen systems of care in communities across the state.
As state and local agencies face huge budget cuts, it will be more important than ever that all who provide services to children and youth with serious behavioral health needs commit to coordinating services, so young people and families can get the help they need.If we’re successful, Texas will do a better job of keeping our kids at home, in school, and out of trouble--helping young people with even the most complex problems grow up healthy and well.
News and Reports Weekly Round-Up
Child and Maternal Health
10.22.10 Lawmakers Must Protect Texas Children When Budget Cuts are Made (San Antonio Express-News op-ed)
10.20.10 Brains of New Moms Grow, Study Says (LiveScience)
10.19.10 Travis County Battling Obesity (KVUE)
10.15.10 More Houston Kids Walk to School (Houston Public Radio)
More Health News...
Child Protection
10.20.10 Nearly 60,000 Dallas Kids Unsupervised After School (Dallas Morning News blog)
10.19.10 Children Exposed to Domestic Violence at Much Greater Risk for Other Forms of Child Abuse (UNH Crimes Against Children Research Center)
More Protection News...
Family Financial Security Headlines
10.21.10 Poverty, Opportunity and the Deficit: Notes for the President's Commission (Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity series)
10.19.10 Young Adults are the New Face of Homelessness (AOL News)
10.18.10 Deep Poverty Reaches Record High (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)
More Financial Security News...
Juvenile Justice Headlines
10.20.10 Juveniles No Longer Eligible for Life Without Parole? (PR-USA)
More Juvenile Justice News…
Child Mental Wellbeing Headlines
10.21.10 New Training Opportunities, Policy News and More in Children's Mental Health (Texas Children's Mental Health Forum)
10.20.10 Changing Early Childhood Intervention Eligibility Standards Could Prove Costly for Texas (Texans Care testimony)
10.19.10 Many Children Not Receiving Needed Mental Health Services, Study Finds (Health Resources and Services Administration
10.11.10 Too Much Screen Time Psychologically Harmful to Children (MSNBC)
More Mental Health News...
