FAMILY MATTERS!

A Teachable Moment by Sandra Spencer

It is a dramatic truth that in America, adults are more prone to forgive an adult friend for an illegal act than to forgive a child or an adolescent who commits the same offense. more>>>

Highlights from the Field

Success Story of a Sustainable Program: The Child Welfare Diagnostic and Evaluation Unit (D&E) of the Jefferson County Community Partnership more>>>

News You Can Use

• National Conference of State Legislatures Releases New Report on Mental Health Services
• Report on Children’s Mental Health Usage
• School-Based Mental Health Increases Students' Receiving Care
• Children Risk Loss of Health Coverage
• School-Based Health Centers and Managed Care Arrangements: A Review of State Models and Implementation Issues
• One Department Serving Rural America: HHS Rural Task Force Report to the Secretary
• Family Strengths: Often Overlooked, But Real
• Department of Justice Awards More Than $14 Million and Increases its JUMP Programs From 47 To 66 Sites

• Alliance for Children and Families Annual Conference: United to Succeed.
• American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law: 33rd Annual Meeting
• Risk and Resilience: Protective Mechanisms and School-based Prevention Programs.
• The GAINS Center 2002 National Conference: Expanding Access to Community-Based Services for People with Co-Occuring Disorders in Contact with the Justice System.
• Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health 14th Annual Conference: Raising Children with Mental Health Needs: Families' Call for Action.
• Georgetown Pediatric Institute for Human Development - Contemporary Practice in the Treatment of Attention
• System of Care Community Meeting
  Education: A System of Care Partner–Effective Strategies for Service to Youth With Serious Emotional Disorders and Their Families

Youth News

• Students with Disabilities Advocate Best for Themselves
• Youth and Violence: Students Speak out for a More Civil Society
• Youth Advocate Shares his Story with Seventeen Magazine
• The “Verb” Site: Campaign To Promote Healthy Development Of "Tweens"
• State Youth Policy: Helping All Youth to Grow Up Fully Prepared and Fully Engaged

Technical Assistance Partnership News

• December 12 Partnering with Child Welfare in Systems of Care Facilitator: Anita Marshall, Senior Child Welfare Advisor
• January 7–10, 2003 – Portland, OR
  System of Care Community Meeting
  Education: A System of Care Partner–Effective Strategies for Service to Youth With Serious Emotional Disorders and Their Families

Funding Opportunities

• Million Available to Fund Expansion Grants for Emergency Mental Health and Substance Abuse
  Deadline: October 22, 2002
• $1 Million Available to Fund Mental Health Prevention and Early Intervention Services
  Deadline: October 22, 2002

Research Update

• Conflicting reports on mental health intervention after trauma:
  • Early Mental Health Intervention Reduces Mass Violence Trauma
  • Debriefing After Trauma Ineffective in Preventing PTSD
• Depression in Adolescence Raises Risk of Obesity
• One in Eight Children of Suicide Attempters Likely to Make Own Attempts
• Behavioral Problems in Children With Low Birth Weight Persist at Age 11
• New Study Supports Use of St. John’s Wort Extract (Hypericum) for Mild to Moderate Depression
• Increased Use of Antidepressants By Children
• Motor Tics More Common Among Children Than Previously Thought
• Tailored Education Program Helps Autistic Children into Mainstream School

• Even Minor Nonaccidental Skin Injuries in Children Deemed to Represent Abuse
• Childhood and Adolescent Bipolar Disorder Present Special Treatment Challenges
• Diagnosis Of Bipolar Disorders: Focus On Bipolar Disorder I And Bipolar Disorder II
• OJJDP Bulletin: Juvenile Gun Courts: Promoting Accountability and Providing Treatment
• Modern-Day Youth Gangs
• Learning Disabilities and Learning Problems
• Promoting the Emotional Well-Being of Children and Families – Policy Papers
• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: An Update
• Aggression Management: Childhood to Old Age
• Treatment of Anxiety Disorders With Comorbid Depression
• Maximizing Antipsychotic Pharmacotherapy
• Choosing an Antipsychotic and Why