This review coincides with the Department for Education's Hungry Little Minds national behaviour change campaign, which aims to increase awareness of the ways in which parents and carers can improve outcomes for their children through conversations, books and play. Research shows that the quality of the home learning environment (i.e. the physical…

An increasing number of children and youth have mental health disorders. To address this issue, federal and provincial mental health policymakers in Canada have recommended: (a) improving the coordination of services, and (b) increasing the role that schools play in providing supports. One way to operationalize these recommendations is to…

Discusses the use of public television as a means of providing mental health outreach services for the community. Describes a weekly program, "The Black Family," broadcast in Jacksonville, Florida, which focused on family relationships, social issues, and mental and physical health, using a call-in format that allowed viewer participation. (JAC)

This paper points out that both formal and informal historical precedents in community mental health have emphasized citizen participation as an essential element of the system's success. It reviews citizen involvement procedures in use in one midwestern catchment area, and concludes that citizen representation appears to be inadequate, in…

Presents a nonbureaucratic model of mental health service delivery: the Family Life Center in Columbia, Maryland. Describes services through three programs: a counseling service, community services, and an information and referral service. Professional volunteers work with clients referred by counseling coordinators. Discusses implications for…

This document describes services for the elderly provided by the Spokane Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) in Spokane, Washington. It begins by stating several reasons that the elderly are often unserved or underserved by health and social service agencies and by noting the need for community efforts to identify and locate the subpopulation of…

Traditional mental health service systems are examined in terms of factors limiting their effectiveness, theoretical biases that have shaped them, and their assumptions. Alternative community-oriented approaches are then presented and analyzed. Finally, a new mental health role, the Liaison Specialist, is described. The Liaison Specialist attempts…

Outcome evaluation assesses the results or benefits of mental health services received by clients or communities by comparing descriptive data on the mental health status of clients at different points in time. It aids clinicians and managers in planning programs and managing clinical services. A mental health center should establish goal-oriented…