Katie A. Implementation
Progress & Hurdles:
Child & Family Team Component
Donna Ewing-Marto, Executive Family Partner, Family & Youth Roundtable
Sarah Pauter, Executive Youth Partner, Family & Youth Roundtable
Family & Youth
Roundtable
Our Mission
To advance excellence in the public child, youth and
family service system through an independent network
of youth and families.
Our Vision
All children, youth and families are healthy, safe and
thriving in their communities.
The History of System Reform Efforts
1969: Congress ordered a report be conducted on the status of children’s mental health in the
United States.
1974: As part of the Federal Community Mental Health Center's Act, $20 million was allocated to
states as part of a seven-year effort at funding children's mental health programs.
1979-80: A class action lawsuit was filed in the state of North Carolina. The Willie M case set a
precedent for states to create a network of case managers to coordinate care through a "system
of care."
1982: Unclaimed Children: The Failure of Public Responsibility to Children and Adolescents in
Need of Mental Health Services portrayed a nation that had neglected children with mental
health needs.
1984: National Institute of Mental Health allocated $1.5 million to develop the Child and
Adolescent Service System Program (CASSP), a federal reform effort designed to integrate
services
2000: The Surgeon General created the “National Action Agenda” in response to the public crisis
in mental healthcare for infants, children and adolescents. The primary concern was that many
children have mental health problems that interfere with normal development and functioning.
2008: The Unclaimed Children Revisited found that 25 years later, many states are still struggling
to respond to the needs of children with mental health concerns.
What is a Child Family Team?
“The CFT is a team of people--- it is comprised of the youth and family
and all of the ancillary individuals who are working with them toward
their mental health goals and their successful transition out of the child
welfare system.”
Child Family Teams must:
Be comprised of the child, youth and family and formal supports from
both child welfare and mental health
Child Family Team meetings must:
Have a clear and standardized meeting process
Convene a minimum of every 90 days
Child Family Team Standards
Teams promote transparency and
collaboration while working toward
common goals.
Teams have mutual respect and
recognize each other’s contributions.
“Working as part of a team involves a
different way of decision-making. Child
welfare, mental health staff, and service
providers need to become knowledgeable
about and comfortable working within a
team environment that engages youth
and families as partners in that
environment.”
Team members should include
informal supports, such as extended
family, friends, and mentors, as well
as other formal supports, like
teachers and other agencies
providing services.
The child and family guide the
team composition and schedule
and location of meetings based
upon their needs.
Barriers
Historically
Currently
Lack of coordination between
child welfare and mental
health providers
Training of providers, foster
care workers, and foster
parents
Failure to provide mental
health screening and
assessments
Limited collaboration between
system professionals and
biological parents
Data sharing
Children with both medical
and mental health needs
Placement instability
Stigma
Recommendations
Development of an oversight
commission that includes
informed family & youth
representatives as equal
decision makers.
Child Family Teams Meetings
are independent of preexisting
meetings.
Counties develop mechanisms
to provide children and
families with the same
information and resources
provided to professionals.
Educate and support children
and families to evaluate the
quality of services they
receive.
Transition from data centric
outcome metrics to qualitative
measures that are consistent
with the CPM.
Incentivize compliancy to the
CPM.
THANK YOU
5005 Texas St. Suite 104 San Diego, CA 92108
(619) 546-5852
donna@fyrt.org
spauter@fyrt.org