scholarly journals Examining How the Mental Health Needs of Children Who Have Experienced Maltreatment are Addressed within Ontario Children’s Aid Societies

Author(s):  
Jennifer Czincz ◽  
Elisa Romano

American data suggest that there is often a lack of mental health service provision to children in the child welfare system that have experienced maltreatment and are exhibiting psychological difficulties. These data are concerning given that the existing literature unanimously concludes that children who have experienced maltreatment present with significantly higher rates of mental health difficulties than general samples of children in the community. Given that little Canadian research has been conducted in this area, this study examined the need identification and referral process made to mental health services by Ontario Children’s Aid Societies (CAS) for children who have experienced maltreatment. Findings indicate a high prevalence of mental health difficulties in this population and a limited standardized approach to the identification and assessment of these issues. It was found that the majority of children who do receive referrals to mental health services are referred to community-based psychologists. Findings regarding the tracking of community referrals and interagency collaboration were encouraging as compared to American data.

Author(s):  
Melissa K. Holt ◽  
Jennifer Greif Green ◽  
Javier Guzman

Schools are a primary setting for mental health service provision to youth and are also main sources of referral to community mental health service providers. This chapter examines the school context and its key role in the child and adolescent mental health services system. The chapter first provides information about the association of emotional and behavioral disorders with school experiences, including academic performance. Next, the chapter presents a framework for mental health service provision and assessment in schools, including describing methods for identifying students who might need mental health services and tracking their progress. Further, several evidence-based interventions are highlighted as examples of effective practices in schools. The chapter concludes with recommendations for clinical practice in school settings.


2017 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 100-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Moloney ◽  
Daniela Rohde

Purpose Physical activity is associated with both physical and mental health benefits for people with psychosis. However, mental health services have been criticised for failing to adequately promote physical activities. Occupational Therapy, with its focus on meaningful everyday occupations, is well placed to incorporate physical activity interventions. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of men with psychosis participating in an Irish community-based football programme. Design/methodology/approach Six men with psychosis participated in qualitative interviews. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Interview data were analysed thematically. Findings Participants identified many benefits of engaging in the programme. Football became a valued part of weekly routines and fostered re-engagement with previously valued roles. Participants identified improvements in social confidence and motor and process skills, as well as a positive impact on their mental and physical health. Originality/value This study highlights the value and meaning of participation in football for men with psychosis, as well as demonstrating the longer-term feasibility of football as a therapeutic medium in Occupational Therapy mental health service provision. Findings could help to promote the routine use of sports interventions to mental health services.


2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Corlett

Purpose – The Policy Watch series reflects on recent and forthcoming developments in mental health policy across the UK. The purpose of this paper is to review recent developments in mental health policy, specifically the implications and learning for mental health services of recent scandals such as Mid Staffordshire and Winterbourne View and the various responses to them. Design/methodology/approach – This paper reviews and summarises recent developments in national mental health policy in England and their implications for mental health service provision. Findings – The paper outlines how learning from recent scandals such as Mid Staffordshire and Winterbourne View can be applied in mental health services. Originality/value – The paper updates and discusses recent policy developments in the NHS and their implications for mental health services.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liam Mac Gabhann ◽  
Simon Dunne

Community-based participatory approaches are widely recognized as valuable methods for improving mental health and well-being by enabling a greater sense of liberty among participants, through the development of equitable policies and practices, which accommodate a range of diverse perspectives. One such approach, “Trialogue Meetings,” has been found to encourage disclosure and dialogue surrounding mental health, facilitate the growth and development of communities in relation to people’s experience of mental health difficulties, service provider and community response. Emerging in the 1990s because of perceived and felt inequitable relations between people with lived experience of mental health difficulties, family members of people with mental health difficulties and professionals providing mental health service provision. This approach has been shown to successfully reduce stigma and discrimination and improve relations between stakeholders in community and mental health care settings. Trialogue Meetings incorporate Open Dialogue methods to allow multiple stakeholder groups to participate in conversations around a given topic and enable the creation of a common language and mutual understanding. Trialogue Meetings have added benefits of allowing individuals to express themselves better, gain a sense of relationality and community with others and address predetermined power hierarchies with prescribed responses to people’s experiences. In this perspective, we present an outline for Trialogue Meetings as a medium for enhancing wellbeing, providing a transformative empowering process for deliberate discursive practice and engaging citizens through sustained collective dialogue.


2010 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 613-626 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Tarren-Sweeney

Much of what is written in this special issue points to the need for a clinical workforce that has much greater knowledge and skills for working with children with a history of alternate care, including those who are subsequently adopted. Standard child clinical conceptualization, assessment methods, and formulations miss the mark for these vulnerable populations in a number of critical ways. The present paper proposes 10 principles to guide the design of mental health services for children in care, and those adopted from care. Effective specialization in child welfare work by clinical child psychologists, psychotherapists and psychiatrists, requires: (i) specialized knowledge and skills; (ii) a shift from traditional clinical practice to a clinical psychosocial-developmental scope of practice; and (iii) a strong advocacy role. To support such specialized practice, service design should be guided by: (iv) a primary—specialist care nexus, that includes universal, comprehensive assessments; (v) a shift from acute care to preventative, long-term engagement and monitoring; (vi) integration within the social care milieu; (vii) a shift from exclusion to active ownership of these client groups; (viii) normalization strategies; and (ix) alignment of services for these client groups. Finally, it is argued that mental health service provision for these children is strengthened by policy that promotes (x) “whole of government” accountability for their mental health needs.


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 117863291769435 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shanaya Rathod ◽  
Narsimha Pinninti ◽  
Muhammed Irfan ◽  
Paul Gorczynski ◽  
Pranay Rathod ◽  
...  

This article discusses the provision of mental health services in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with a view to understanding the cultural dynamics–how the challenges they pose can be addressed and the opportunities harnessed in specific cultural contexts. The article highlights the need for prioritisation of mental health services by incorporating local population and cultural needs. This can be achieved only through political will and strengthened legislation, improved resource allocation and strategic organisation, integrated packages of care underpinned by professional communication and training, and involvement of patients, informal carers, and the wider community in a therapeutic capacity.


2011 ◽  
Vol 38 (S 01) ◽  
Author(s):  
D Pucci ◽  
F Amaddeo ◽  
A Rossi ◽  
G Rezvy ◽  
R Olstad ◽  
...  

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