Children, youth, and families involved with child welfare and struggling with mental health issues may also struggle with co-occurring issues such as substance abuse or juvenile justice involvement. Resources on this page provide strategies and tools for increasing quality partnerships among these interrelated systems and their professionals in order to improve outcomes and family well-being.
Bringing Families Together: Models of Hope and Recovery [Video]
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Children and Family Futures (2012)
Features the 10-Element Framework: Elements of System Linkages, developed by the National Center on Substance Abuse and Child Welfare to help State, Tribal, and local communities overcome barriers and identify strategies to facilitate effective partnerships between mental health services, substance use treatment, child welfare, and family courts. Two programs are highlighted in this video, each addressing the challenges across service systems to ensure that families affected by mental health and substance use disorders and involved with child welfare get the support they need to live safe, productive lives.
Coverage of Behavioral Health Services for Children, Youth, and Young Adults With Significant Mental Health Conditions (PDF - 262 KB)
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services & Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2013)
Outlines two Federal initiatives, one through Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and another through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), to address the needs of children and youth with mental health conditions. SAMHSA's Children's Mental Health Initiative (CMHI) promotes a coordinated, community-based approach with children, youth, and their families. The CMS Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) Demonstration Program was designed to determine the effectiveness of community-based services for youth who are in or at risk of entering a PRTF.
An Overview of Juvenile Mental Health Courts (PDF - 64 KB)
Gardner (2011)
American Bar Association Child Law Practice, 30(7)Provides an overview of the function of juvenile mental health courts (JMHCs) in diverting youth with mental illness away from the juvenile justice system into community-based mental health treatment. The article discusses key principles, diagnostic eligibility, and core purposes of JMHCs, as well as the use of a collaborative approach.
Preventing Juvenile Suicide Through Improved Collaboration: Strategies for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice Agencies (PDF - 428 KB)
National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention & Youth in Contact With the Juvenile Justice System Task Force (2013)
Provides recommendations for achieving collaboration among practitioners in juvenile justice, law enforcement, mental health, substance use, child welfare, and education to successfully prevent suicide among youth in the juvenile justice system.
Workforce Resource 1-Page Summary #15: Implementing EBP (PDF - 141 KB)
National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (2013)
Summarizes an article on a case study that explored challenges and solutions in implementing and evaluating an evidence-based mental health intervention for youth in foster care in school settings.