Bridging Disciplinary Boundaries (January 11 - 14, 2007)

Research suggests that children in foster care exhibit a higher prevalence of mental health problems than those in the general population (Halfon, Zepeda, & Inkelas, 2002). While estimates of mental health service usage by child welfare clients vary nationally (Kolko, Baumann, & Caldwell, 2003), studies indicate that a large percentage of children in California enter the mental health system through the child welfare system, making the child welfare system the gateway to mental health services for poor children (Landsverk, Garland, & Leslie, 2001). In spite of the documented need for mental health services and the high rates of use by children in California, information regarding service utilization and outcomes for children and youth in the child welfare system is lacking. A better understanding of the impact of mental health service utilization on CWS system-related outcomes is important for all children in the child welfare system, and especially for children of color who make up the majority of the child welfare population (US DHHS, 2003). Using a sample of recently closed cases of children (N=520) in child welfare who are also involved in the mental health system, secondary analysis was conducted utilizing child welfare and mental health system data from a large and ethnically diverse California county. Multivariate logistic and multiple regression models were utilized to determine predictors related to mental health service utilization and to CWS system-related outcomes. Results indicate that while the ethnic distribution of children receiving mental health services generally reflected the overall composition of the CWS, Asian/PI children received mental health services at a rate slightly higher than their representation in the CWS. Results further suggested that the vast majority of children (91%) received out-patient services as their primary mode of treatment. Among those, Asian/Pacific Islanders (60%) were most likely to be reunified with their families following treatment, followed by Latinos (46%), Blacks (37%) and then Whites (35%). Controlled analyses indicate that younger children, those who spent less time in the CWS, and Latino children were more likely to complete treatment. The receipt of mental health services was not directly related to family reunification; younger children, those who spent less time in the CWS were more likely to be reunified following treatment. Implications for practice and policy will be discussed, with a particular emphasis on ways a transcultural perspective could help inform system collaboration and more effective mental health service delivery to children of color in the CWS.

References

Halfon, N., Zepeda,A., & Inkelas, M. (2002). Mental health services for children in foster care. UCLA Policy Brief. Kolko, D.J., Baumann, B.L., & Caldwell, N. (2003). Child abuse victim's involvement in community agency treatment: service correlates, short-term outcomes, and relationship to reabuse. Child Maltreatment, 8, 273-288. Landsverk, J., Garland, A.F., & Leslie, L.K. (2001). Mental health services for children reported to child protective services. In J.E.B. Meyers, C.T. Hendrix, L. Berliner, J. Reid (Eds.). APSAC Handbook on Child Maltreatment. 2nd ed. Thousand Oaks: Sage. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2003). Foster care national statistics.