Practice-relevant information in the areas of Mental Health, Education, Child Welfare, Juvenile Justice, Family Involvement, Primary Care, Substance Abuse, and Youth Development

Summer 2006 Focal Point

The Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health has released a new issue of Focal Point, its semiannual bulletin. The Summer 2006 issue, titled “Corrections,” contains nine articles on the topic of mental health needs of children and adolescents involved with the juvenile justice system. The articles describe the lack of effective strategies for meeting the needs of this population and discuss strategies for improving the system’s response to mental health needs. The issue also includes personal essays by incarcerated youth and describes parents’ views of mental health services for youth involved with the juvenile justice system.

To download the Summer 2006 issue of Focal Point, visit http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgFPS06TOC.php

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The Importance of Fathers in the Healthy Development of Children

This guide is the newest addition to the Child Abuse and Neglect User Manual Series, developed for caseworkers in the field of child welfare. The manual provides important information and guidance for involving fathers in case planning and service provision. The first section provides details about a father’s connection to his child’s well-being, including his role in the occurrence and prevention of maltreatment. The second section describes existing fatherhood programs, and Federal fatherhood initiatives. It also offers strategies for coordinating a fatherhood program. The manual as a whole is designed to help caseworkers “recognize the value of fathers to children; appreciate the importance of fathers to the case planning and service provision process; understand the issues unique to working with fathers; effectively involve fathers in all aspects of case management, from assessment through case closure; work successfully with fathers in a wide range of family situations and structures” (p. 6).

To read the manual, visit http://www.childwelfare.gov/pubs/usermanuals/fatherhood/

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School-Based Mental Health: An Empirical Guide for Decision-Makers

This monograph was developed by the Research and Training Center for Children's Mental Health to provide information for the development of effective and integrated school-based mental health services. Authors begin by reviewing the history of mental health services in schools, summarizing the major conceptual models and approaches, and discussing the empirical support for school-based interventions. The authors also describe barriers to implementing services and offer recommendations to improve school-based mental health services.

To download the guide, visit http://rtckids.fmhi.usf.edu/rtcpubs/study04/index.htm

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Making a Difference in the Lives of Youth

A new document by the National Collaboration for Youth (NCY) profiles model programs that are making a difference in the lives of youth. Authors present case studies on each of the ten model programs, which include stories and quotes from youth, parents, program implementers, program developers, and researchers. The document illustrates the scope and impact of NCY programming for youth around the country.

To view the document, visit http://www.nassembly.org/nydic/programming/newideas/MakingaDifferenceintheLivesofYouth.htm

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Engaging Youth to Create Positive Change

The National Center for Cultural Competence has developed a new brief as part of its promising practices series. The brief focuses on Youth Speaking Out, a youth-driven empowerment, support, and advocacy group in Rhode Island. The brief provides general information about the group and discusses its challenges and successes. In addition, representatives of the Parent Support Network of Rhode Island identify the specific factors that have led to the group’s accomplishments.

For more information, visit http://gucchd.georgetown.edu/object_view.html?objectID=10717

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Psychiatric Disorders of Youth in Detention

This Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) bulletin focuses on psychiatric disorders of detained youth. The bulletin begins with a discussion of the methodological limitations of earlier research in this area. It then presents research conducted by the Northwestern Juvenile Project that was designed to overcome these limitations. The Northwestern Juvenile Project measured the prevalence of alcohol, drug, and mental disorders among youth detained at the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center in Illinois. The project found that even when conduct disorder was excluded, nearly two-thirds of males and three-quarters of females studied met diagnostic criteria for one or more psychiatric disorders. The bulletin ends with a discussion of implications of this research for the juvenile justice system.

To read more, visit http://ojjdp.ncjrs.org/publications/pubabstract.asp?pubi=210331

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National Youth Court Month Action Kit

The 5 th annual National Youth Court Month is September, 2006. The 2006 National Youth Court Month Action Kit is available through the National Youth Court Center Web site. The kit contains a wealth of resources to assist youth courts in planning, conducting, and promoting community projects and activities. It includes event planning information, suggested activities, tips for involving the Media, and sample materials. The kit also contains a 12-month calendar that includes additional resources and highlights various youth court programs.

The National Youth Court Month Action Kit is available online at http://www.youthcourt.net/YC_Month_2006/NYCC2006-2007_Calendar-Kit.pdf. (Adobe Acrobat Reader required)

For further information about National Youth Court Month, visit http://www.youthcourt.net/YC_Month_2006/overview_06.htm.

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Maximizing the Use of EPSDT to Improve the Health and Development of Young Children

This is the second Project THRIVE Short Take report by the National Center for Children in Poverty. It focuses on the use of the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT) program of Medicaid in state Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems. The report describes the role of EPSDT in Early Childhood Comprehensive Systems (ECCS) and provides tips for improving States’ ECCS initiatives. Authors also review the research about Medicaid, EPSDT, and young children; discuss strategies for collaborative efforts to improve child health; and provide data about recent State participation rates and performance.

To read this Project THRIVE Short Take, visit http://nccp.org/pub_tst06b.html

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Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Family Supports

This policy brief by the National Center for Children in Poverty focuses on the challenges faced by families of children and youth with special health care needs and the need to implement support systems for these families—especially supports that respect each families’ unique culture, values, preferences, and needs. The authors discuss the importance of cultural and linguistic competence in family supports. They also suggest policy strategies to promote and sustain cultural and linguistic competence in family supports.

To read the policy brief, visit http://www11.georgetown.edu/research/gucchd/nccc/documents/FamilySupports.pdf (Adobe Acrobat Reader required)