CMHS Highlights Successful Efforts To Provide Children’s MH Care

The federal Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) released the latest three volumes in a free series describing practices that show promise for the care of children with mental health problems.

“By improving care and services locally, we can give more of our children the opportunity to participate fully in family and community life,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson in a press release.

The three volumes describe specific exemplary mental health services developed by programs that have received grants from the CMHS’s Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program.

The first of the new publications, Wrap-Around: Stories From the Field, discusses the 10 elements that make up the “wrap-around” approach by presenting stories of families who have benefited from these services. “Wrap-around” services are comprehensive community-based mental health services that can include home or school-based professional services. The goal is to maximize the strengths of families, personal support systems, and community resources, according to CMHS.

The second volume, Learning from Families: Identifying Service Strategies for Success, describes key elements that enable families to engage fully in systems of care developed for their children, in particular the crucial partnership with providers of care, states the press release.

The third volume, Promising Practices in Early Childhood Mental Health, describes the principles that underlie effective early childhood mental health services. The publication also presents strategies to incorporate these principles into community-based care. Its final section offers recommendations for the future design and delivery of early childhood mental health services.

The three volumes build on 10 existing volumes released by CMHS. Those focus on promising practices in training, service delivery, collaboration, school coordination, managed care, cultural competence, and roles for families in systems of care, notes the press release.

All 13 volumes are available without charge by calling the CMHS Clearinghouse at (800) 789-2647 or by going to the CMHS Web site at www.cmhs.samhsa.gov and clicking on “The Children’s Campaign.” ▪