Episode 13: Collaborating Between Child Welfare and Mental Health

Children involved in the child welfare system may sometimes require clinical care from mental health professionals. The child welfare and mental health professionals working with these children and their families may not always have opportunities to collaborate despite both seeking to improve outcomes. When working with their clients independently, child welfare and mental health professionals can experience positive outcomes. Collaboration between the two groups, however, reveals the potential for even greater success and the possibility to reach positive outcomes faster.

In this podcast, listeners will hear about a joint training and collaborative effort that occurred outside Baltimore, MD, designed for each group of professionals to better understand each other by sharing target outcomes for children and families, developing a common language to care, understanding each systems' particular needs, and learning how to recognize and assess signs and symptoms of potential mental health disorders. This joint training, developed from a grant from the Children's Bureau, addresses both sides of the child welfare/mental health relationship, leading to increased permanency while supporting clinical strategies and behavioral goals.

This group discussion centers on the multidimensional model, Partnering for Success, developed from a Children's Bureau grant to the National Center for Evidence-Based Practice in Child Welfare. The Partnering for Success approach trains mental health and child welfare professionals together and emphasizes the fundamentals of assessments, evidence-based practices, and work processes. The discussion also focuses on the value of introducing professionals to each other as well as the importance of clinically informed case management.

This podcast features interviews with the following professionals:

• Angela Jachelski, M.S.W., National Center for Evidence-Based Practice in Child Welfare
• Jane Gehring, L.C.S.W.-C., assistant director, Family Services, Baltimore County (MD) Department of Social Services, Child Protective Services
• Suzie Templeton, L.C.S.W.-C., Villa Maria Behavioral Health Clinic

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