Service coordination from the perspective of 226 caregivers whose children have serious emotional disabilities was examined. Although complexity of services was not related to service coordination, severity of the children's problems was inversely related and family participation was positively related to service coordination. Service coordination…

A 4-year study of 27 system-of-care sites designed to provides mental health services to children and adolescents, found that despite many changes in each local service system, no site was able to fully implement all 16 key attributes comprising an ideal system-of-care model (including sites with previous system-building experience). (Contains…

A study examined the effects of wraparound services on the adjustment of four adolescents with severe emotional disturbances at imminent risk of long-term residential placements. Results indicate significant positive effects in the areas of compliance, appropriate peer interactions, extreme verbal abuse, alcohol/drug use, and physical aggression.…

Cluster analysis was conducted to examine clinical characteristics of 1,961 boys and 1,320 girls (ages 10-19) with serious emotional disturbances entering systems of care funded by the Center for Mental Health Services. Combining functional and behavioral characteristics of participants indicate that symptom measures alone could not adequately…

This study examined the degree to which local systems of care in Vermont shared responsibility for children and adolescents and four service delivery outcomes over a 4-year period. Results indicated that greater caseload integration is associated with less referral for residential treatment and higher rates of incarceration. (Contains references.)…

Reviews the development of comprehensive and collaborative service systems for children with serious emotional disturbance and their families from the advocacy of the 1960s to the present. A detailed description of an empirically supported model system operating in Vermont is presented along with other state models. (Author/CR)

A 42-item structured observation instrument was devised to rate the family friendliness of the Family Assessment and Planning Team (FAPT) meetings in Virginia for children with emotional and behavioral disorders. Seventy-nine case presentations at 31 FAPT meetings were observed and overall rating of family friendliness was good (63%). (Author/CR)

Interviews were conducted with 60 human-services-agency staff of the Child and Adolescent Service System Program in California and 67 parents of children with serious emotional disturbance regarding changes over the previous four years in their local children's service systems. Results indicate increased interagency collaboration and family…

A study examined the long-term (3 year) treatment outcomes of all adolescents (n=2,481) who received services in Vermont's statewide systems of care. Recipients of services had substantially elevated rates of incarceration and hospitalization but maternity rates in the treatment groups were not different from other young women. (Contains…

Using data from three sites, a study examined service use and expenditures under systems-of-care. The sites provided children with a full range of mental health services. Per-child expenditures were high, but for two sites, those expenditures were within the range of expenditures in other innovative attempts at service delivery. (Contains…

This introductory article provides an overview of the national evaluation conducted within the original 22 grantee communities funded from 1993 to 1999. The history and underlying foundations of the evaluation are presented. Specific evaluation questions and components are outlined, and issues that evolved out of the evaluation process are…

A survey of 37 system-of-care sites constituting 31 programs for children with serious mental health challenges found high family participation in such activities as modification of questionnaires, collecting data, and reviewing results. Low family participation was reported in the hiring of staff and data processing. Most families were…

This article proposes that schools take on the role of coordinating intervention efforts with school-age children who exhibit antisocial behavior patterns. Collaboration with families and social service agencies is urged. A generic prevention/intervention approach for reducing antisocial behavior risk factors is suggested, with recommendations for…

A study compared practice-level variables between two sites that have been implementing system-of-care (SOC) principles for at least 5 years and two traditional service systems. Overall, SOC sites scored significantly higher than non-SOC sites in the child-centered and family-focused, community-based, and cultural competence domains. (Contains…

This commentary summarizes findings from previous articles on system-of-care mental health programs for children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders. It addresses characteristics of participating children and families, system measurement system development, costs and sustainability, and family participation in program…