This article shares a personal perspective on school mental health through a discussion of the ways that schools currently address mental health, an example of advancing such work through a school district mental health unit, and reflection on some important lessons learned. The article's appendix lists five sample delivery mechanisms and formats.…

Mental illness has a catastrophic impact on the family, subjecting its members to severe burden and life stress. In addition, families are often implicated in the origins of the illness by themselves, society, and mental health professionals. New alliances with clinicians are helping to support and destigmatize these families. (AF)

This article outlines problems associated with large mental hospitals, describes how knowledge gained from these problems can be used to create alternative treatment programs, and introduces the papers in this special issue on community-based treatment programs for individuals with developmental disabilities. (JDD)

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…

In April 2002, the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health was created by executive order to study the mental health care delivery system in our nation and to make recommendations for improvements so that individuals with serious mental disorders can live, work, learn, and fully participate in their homes and communities. In its…

This paper highlights the main issues that are present in the field of child and adolescent mental health services with regard to strategic development. It identifies the major themes that have emerged concerning the commissioning and delivery of services, and also highlights the difficulties faced by particular groups of children. The authors…

This compilation of four annual newsletter issues on services for children with emotional disturbances presents reports of activities, meetings, services, and programs around the country as well as various feature articles. Activities funded under the Child and Adolescent Service System Program are highlighted. In the Winter 1988-89 issue, an…

An approach is presented for estimating the need for specific types of services within a system of care for children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances and for estimating the staff, dollars, and other resources required. Many of the issues that need to be resolved before one can "size" and cost out a system of care are…

Many mentally ill children, especially those who are seriously disturbed, are not receiving the mental health care they need. Although the federal government offers financing to the states for child and adolescent mental health programming, the primary responsibility for financing mental health services has been assumed by state governments. At…

This report maintains that it is just as unacceptable to allow millions of children to die each year from needless infection and malnutrition as it is to let them die in sudden emergencies of drought and famine. The world now has the means to attack childhood malnutrition and disease on a massive scale and at an affordable cost. Four million…

This paper contains a literature review on mental health programs, prevention measures, and school systems. The mental health of school children is examined, the concept of prevention is reviewed, and the role of the school system in prevention is discussed. Literature dealing with school-based efforts in concert with the family and the community…

The Special Summer Food Service Program for Children is one of several programs for the feeding of children administered by the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS). The program is designed to feed during summer vacation, children from areas having poor economic conditions or high concentrations of working mothers. It is authorized through fiscal year…

Argues that acculturation should be postponed while refugee children grieve the loss of their cultural background. Suggests school-based programs to assist adjustment. (FMW)

Louisiana's initiative to assist local communities to develop and operate school-based health centers (SBHCs), in place for 10 years, is a nationally-recognized model. This annual report illustrates the vital work being done in Louisiana's SBHCs over the past 10 years to assist families in ensuring their children's health and well-being. Section 1…