The General Assembly’s Commission on Youth has recently published the 5th edition of its Collection of Evidence-based Practices for Children and Adolescents with Mental Health Treatment Needs. From page six of the document: "Effective mental health treatments which have undergone testing in both controlled research trials and real-world settings are available for a wide range [...]
The state of Massachusetts operates a Children's Behavioral Health Initiative at the state level, and this model offers some interesting ideas for other state and local initiatives. The Children's Behavioral Health Initiative (CBHI) is "...an interagency initiative of the Commonwealth's Executive Office of Health and Human Services whose mission is to strengthen, expand and integrate [...]
In considering the value of behavioral health services for children and youth, we often overlook the perspective of employers. In 2009 the National Business Group on Health published an Employer's Guide to Child and Adolescent Mental Health to help employers improve the delivery of child and adolescent behavioral health services. Part I of the report [...]
The Child Mind Institute provides research and practical guidance for improving children's mental health services. One popular feature on their website is the 'Speak Up for Kids' quiz which asks a series of questions intended to spotlight the common roadblocks to children's mental health services. The quiz is really an educational tool, and the questions and [...]
As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, the 1-in-5 Kids Campaign organized an event on May 29, “A Community Conversation about Children’s Mental Health,” to raise awareness of the need for Chesterfield elected officials and residents to address mental health issues in children. The event served as an important vehicle for keeping children’s mental health [...]
In today's environment it is vitally important for child & youth service organizations to define and communicate the value they deliver to the communities they serve. Southside CSB has produced one example of a creative online report to communicate its community value. Check it out here: http://www.sscsb.org/images/scsb%20annual%20report_2013.pdf
Educating policymakers and the public about the value of children's mental health services is an ongoing challenge. Part of that challenge is finding the right words to describe complex concepts related to child mental health. Recent work by the FrameWorks Institute provides research-based guidance for informing the public conversation about child mental health services. The research documents a considerable [...]
A new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) defines specific mental health risks faced by US military children, especially for those with a deployed parent. The report also provides specific recommendations for pediatricians and other service providers who care for children with family members serving in the military. Click here to read [...]
On May 16, a new CDC report was released that describes, for the first time, federal activities that track U.S. children’s mental disorders. Although the report is national in scope, it provides important context for tracking trends at the local level. Click here to view the full report. From the report summary: A new report from the [...]
‘Community value assessment’ can be defined as assessment of the value a community organization delivers in return for an investment of community resources. Community value assessment is especially important during times of fiscal austerity when every community organization must justify its existence to funders. A 2011 study published by the Michigan Association of Community Mental [...]