Building Systems of Care for Youth With Serious Mental Illness

¹ Washington Business Group on Health, 777 North Capitol Street, N.E., Suite 800, Washington, D.C. 20002; Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Mental Health Services Program for Youth
² Mental Health Services Program for Youth at the Washington Business Group on Health

In 1990 the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Mental Health Services Program for Youth awarded grants to eight state-community partnerships to develop systems of care for mentally ill children and adolescents. The authors describe approaches to system building in the program's first two years of implementation. The evolving systems consist of government agencies in child welfare, mental health, public health, education, and juvenile justice, as well as privatesector health and mental health care providers. Basic system features include interagency steering committees and long-term intensive case management. Fundamental principles guiding system development are individualization of care to meet the needs of the specific child, organization of care to empower families to manage care over the long term, flexible financing of care, and normalization of care in family and community settings.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				E. M. Z. Farmer, S. Mustillo, B. J. Burns, and E. W. Holden Use and Predictors of Out-of-Home Placements Within Systems of Care Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, March 1, 2008; 16(1): 5 - 14. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. S. Hurlburt, L. K. Leslie, J. Landsverk, R. P. Barth, B. J. Burns, R. D. Gibbons, D. J. Slymen, and J. Zhang Contextual Predictors of Mental Health Service Use Among Children Open to Child Welfare Arch Gen Psychiatry, December 1, 2004; 61(12): 1217 - 1224. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. M. Z. Farmer, B. J. Burns, S. D. Phillips, A. Angold, and E. J. Costello Pathways Into and Through Mental Health Services for Children and Adolescents Psychiatr Serv, January 1, 2003; 54(1): 60 - 66. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. M. Walrath, D. S. Mandell, and P. J. Leaf Responses of Children With Different Intake Profiles to Mental Health Treatment Psychiatr Serv, February 1, 2001; 52(2): 196 - 201. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. M. Walrath, M. J. Sharp, M. Zuber, and P. J. Leaf Serving Children with SED in Urban Systems of Care: Referral Agency Differences in Child Characteristics in Baltimore and the Bronx Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, January 1, 2001; 9(2): 94 - 105. [Abstract] [PDF]

				M. L. Handwerk, P. C. Friman, M. A. Mott, and J. M. Stairs The Relationship Between Program Restrictiveness and Youth Behavior Problems Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, January 1, 1998; 6(3): 170 - 179. [Abstract] [PDF]

				C. M. Walrath, K. J. Nickerson, R. L. Crowel, and P. J. Leaf Serving Children with Serious Emotional Disturbance in a System of Care: Do Mental Health and Non--Mental Health Agency Referrals Look the Same? Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, January 1, 1998; 6(4): 205 - 213. [Abstract] [PDF]

				B. H. Ascher, E. M. Z. Farmer, B. J. Burns, and A. Angold The Child and Adolescent Services Assessment (CASA): Description and Psychometrics Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, January 1, 1996; 4(1): 12 - 20. [Abstract] [PDF]

				B. J. Burns The Challenges Of Child Mental Health Services Research Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, October 1, 1994; 2(4): 254 - 259. [Abstract] [PDF]

				V. PHILLIPS, C. M. NELSON, and J. R. MCLAUGHLIN Systems Change and Services for Students with Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities in Kentucky Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, July 1, 1993; 1(3): 155 - 164. [Abstract] [PDF]

Get information about faster international access.

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 1992 American Psychiatric Association. All rights reserved.

Home | Search | Current Issue | Past Issues | Subscribe | All APPI Journals | Help | Contact Us