AICAFMHA:
promoting mental health for young Australians
Australian Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health Association Ltd
ABN 87 093 479 022

Back to AICAFMHA Homepage / News in Brief Index / Issue #3.20

Welcome to rtcUpdates for October 2003.

rtcUpdates are brought to you by the Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health. Subscribers to rtcUpdates receive occasional email messages from the RTC containing information about the RTC's recent research, publications, and other activities, as well as information about developments in the field of Children's Mental Health.

Feel free to forward this message to friends and colleagues. If this email was forwarded to you, you will need to subscribe to rtcUpdates in order to receive future emails. To subscribe to rtcUpdates, go to the RTC home page at http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/ and click on the "Join our List!" link.

CONTENTS OF THIS UPDATE:

** 2004 BUILDING ON FAMILY STRENGTHS CONFERENCE--Call for Papers
** FOCAL POINT--Fall Issue on Wraparound and Summer Issue on Cultural Competence
** FORUMS--Quality and Fidelity in Children's Mental Health Interventions
** RTC PUBLICATIONS & PRODUCTS--Recently Produced & Newly Available Downloads
** NEW ON OUR WEBSITE--Findings and Resources
** DATA TRENDS--Recent Research Summaries
** FROM THE WEB--Online Information and Sites of Interest

** 2004 Building on Family Strengths Conference--Call for Papers
DEADLINE DECEMBER 5th, 2003! Presentation proposals are now being accepted for the 2004 Building on Family Strengths Conference, to be held May 6-8, 2004 at the Portland, Oregon downtown Hilton.
Please visit the conference page at the RTC website for submission guidelines. At the website, you may either submit a proposal online OR download a proposal submission form for mailing. Three types of presentations are available: symposium (90 minutes), paper (60 minutes; lengthened in response to perennial pleas for 'more time' for papers!), or poster (for display during Friday evening's 2-hour poster session and reception). As noted above, the submission deadline is December 5th.

Questions? Contact Lyn Gordon, Conference Coordinator, at gordonl@pdx.edu or 503-725-4114.

http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgConference.shtml

** FOCAL POINT

* NEW! Fall, 2003 Issue: Quality and Fidelity in Wraparound, Volume 17(2)

Articles in the Fall 2003 issue of Focal Point include:

* Quality and fidelity in Wraparound
* History of the Wraparound process
* Assessing the necessary agency and system support
* Practices to promote effective teamwork in ISP/Wraparound
* Our Wraparound team: Successes and suggestions
* Cody's experience of Wraparound
* Staying the course with Wraparound practice: Tips for managers and implementers
* Ensuring fidelity to the Wraparound process
* National Wraparound initiative
* Assessing the fidelity of Wraparound: The Wraparound observation form--second version
* Tapestry: A Wraparound program for families of color facilitated by parent partners
* Wearing two hats

* ALSO NEW! Summer, 2003 Issue: Cultural Competence, Strengths and Outcomes, Volume 17(1) (ONLINE ONLY ISSUE)

Articles in the Summer issue of Focal Point include:

* Youth clinical outcomes: Does race/ethnicity matter?
* Implementing culturally competent research practices: Identifying strengths of African-American communities, families, and children
* Cultural competence in services to children and families * A challenge to professionals:
Developing cultural reciprocity with culturally diverse families
* Assessing behavioral and emotional strengths in Black children: A measure designed by and for Blacks

To read and download these and other Focal Point articles, visit http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgFocalPoint.shtml

You can also search for and download Focal Point issues and articles from our newly updated Publications web page (Select issues still available in print and available to order) http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgPublications.php

If you are not already on our print mailing list and would like to receive the future issues, please add your name to our mailing list using the "Update or join our mailing list" link from the Focal Point page on our website or if you already receive Focal Point and your address has changed, please update your contact information.
http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgFocalPoint.shtml

** FORUMS

This month's Featured Discussion is entitled "Quality and fidelity in children's mental health interventions." We invite your comments, opinions, and anecdotes about what it takes to ensure high quality implementation of practices or programs in chidren's mental health.
http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgFeaturedDiscussions.php

July's forum asked for input on making child care work for families of children with emotional or behavioral challenges. Read the comments posted on this topic: http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgFeaturedDiscussionsNine.php

Access all discussions from http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgForums.shtml

** RTC PUBLICATIONS & PRODUCTS

Enhanced Online Search Feature
The RTC has an enhanced publications search and order form. Search by key phrases, type of publication, author, date of publication, and more.
http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgPublications.php

* Publications Recently Produced:

NEW Brennan, E. M., Bradley, J. R., Ama, S., & Cawood, N. (2003).
Setting the pace: Model inclusive child care centers serving families of children with emotional or behavioral challenges.
Executive Summary. Portland, OR: Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health, Portland State University. AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD FOR FREE from our publications page http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgPublications.php (search by author or title)

NEW Walker, J. S. & Schutte, K. (2003). Individualized Service/Support Planning and Wraparound:Practice-oriented resources.
Portland, OR: Research and Training Center on Family Support andChildren's Mental Health, Portland State University. AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD FOR FREE from our publications page http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgPublications.php (search by author or title)

NEW Walker, J.S., Koroloff, N. & Schutte, K. (2003). Implementing high-quality collaborative Individualized Service/Support Planning: Necessary conditions.
Portland, OR: Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health, Portland State University. AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD FOR FREE Or order at $10.00/printed copy from our publications page http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgPublications.php (search by author or title) or send an e-mail request to rtcpubs@pdx.edu

* Publications recently available to download for FREE! (previously produced):

Mason, J. (1995) Cultural Competence Self-Assessment Questionnaire: A manual for users.
Portland, OR: Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health, Portland State University. NOW AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD FOR FREE Search by author or title on our new publications page http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgPublications.php

Longley, M. J., & Blankenship, K. (1998). Benefits of Statewide Family Networks for children's mental health: Voices of family members.
Portland, OR: Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health, Portland State University. NOW AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD FOR FREE Search by author or title on our new publications page http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgPublications.php

* More Publications Available in PDF Format:
The RTC has added over two hundred "PDFs" of our publications to our main publications page. Now you can download and print out more of our Conference Proceedings, Monographs, Focal Point articles, Data Trends, and other publications for free. http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgPublications.php

** New On Our Website--Findings and Resources

The web pages of the "ISP/Wraparound teamwork in practice" research project have been updated to provide information the project's status, findings, and products. Key findings are available from the interviews with expert ISP/Wraparound facilitators, and from the observational study of 72 team meetings around the nation. Preliminary findings from the study of videotaped team meetings are also posted.
http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgProjTeamwork.php

The web pages of "Context of individualized services" have also been updated to reflect the latest findings and products from this project examining the organizational and system-level supports that are necessary for high quality implementation of ISP/ Wraparound.
http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgProjContext.php

The "Models of inclusion in child care" project has produced a new page that provides an annotated listing of web-based resources that focus on "Inclusion of children with emotional and behavioral challenges in child care."
http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgProjInclusionRes.php

** DATA TRENDS--Recent Research Summaries Include:

* Working Relationships across Diverse Communities(#84)
* Measuring Adherence to Wraparound Principles: The Wraparound Observation Form--Second Version (#83)
* Family-centered practice: How social workers view parents of children with emotional and behavioral disorders (#82)
* Explaining the Gap Between Mental Health Need and Service Use (#81)
* Impact of Support on Adolescent Mental Health (#80)
* Family Perspectives on Having a Child with a Disability (#79)
* Students with Disabilities and Inclusion in Schools (#78)
* Adolescent Help-Seeking Behavior: Role of the Internet (#77)

Visit our "Data Trends" web page at http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgDataTrends.shtml

You can also search for and download all Data Trends from our newly updated Publications web page http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgPublications.php

Search Tips:
* For a list of all Data Trends, choose "Data Trends" as Publication Type and click "Get"
* For specific Data Trends topics type a keyword or phrase in "Phrase"

** FROM THE WEB--Online Information and Sites of Interest

** Data Trends from University of South Florida
Two new Data Trends summaries are available from the Florida Research and Training Center this month. Summary 89 examines the effectiveness of alternative approaches to in-home crisis services for children and their families. Summary 88 is is a review of two articles which describe the evidence base for interventions designed to treat internalizing and externalizing disorders in children.
http://rtckids.fmhi.usf.edu/rtcpubs/datatrends/datatrendshp.htm

*EDUCATION

** School Psychologists' Cultural Competence Toolkit
As our schools are becoming increasingly diverse, The National Association of School Psychologists is committed to promoting inclusive educational environments that respect and respond to differences in race, culture, ethnicity, and language. A toolkit on cultural and ethnic diversity with a self-assessment checklist for school personnel is provided.
http://www.nasponline.org/culturalcompetence/

** A Guide to Evidence-Based Social and Emotional Learning Programs
This guide, from the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL), provides a road map for schools and districts that are launching or adding drug education, anti-violence, or other social and emotional education programs.
http://www.casel.org/safeandsound.htm

** Promoting Effective Parent Involvement in Secondary Education and Transition
Disability Determination Services reports that, nationally, 62% of the original Social Security Income applications are denied. This brief guides parents through the Supplemental Security Income appeals process, providing information about why many applications are denied, how the decisions are made, and how applicants can respond effectively.
http://www.ncset.org/publications/viewdesc.asp?id=1150

** Family Support and Parent Involvement in Head Start: What Do Head Start Program Performance Standards Require?
Rachel Schumacher of the Center for Law and Social Policy describes specific requirements in Head Start program performance standards to involve parents in programs and to link families to support services. Data on family support and involvement in Head Start programs in 2002 is also provided.
http://www.clasp.org/Pubs/Pubs_ChildCare/

** New Resources from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) NIDA has two new web resources available:

*NIDA Goes Back to School Website
NIDA launched this site to provide easy access to free science education materials for teachers and students.
http://backtoschool.drugabuse.gov/

*NIDA for Teens Website
The National Institute on Drug Abuse has launched their brand-new website that focuses on the science behind drug abuse and addiction. Features include the latest research findings on drugs of abuse, personal stories from teens, publications, and activities for students.
http://teens.drugabuse.gov/

*ACCESS TO SERVICES

** Geographic Disparities in Children's Mental Health Care
If a child needs mental health services, the state of residence may be more important than income or ethnicity in determining if a child in need of services can get them, according to Rand research on 13 states. This study shows that California, Florida, and Texas have the highest rates of unmet need, while Colorado, Massachusetts and Minnesota have the lowest rates.
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/reprint/112/4/e308.pdf

** Punishing Families on Welfare
TANF reauthorization has been postponed for a few months, but the debates over how to build on its successes and fix its shortfalls continue. Many families with extenuating circumstances, like hospitalizations or caring for a severely disabled child, are getting "sanctioned" under Pennsylvania's full family sanctioning regime, charge attorneys at Community Legal Services in Philadelphia.
http://www.philly.com/mld/dailynews/2003/09/23/news/opinion/6830652.htm

** Finding Appropriate Health Care: A National Survey
Over a third of children with autism, over a fifth with mental retardation, and over a fifth with other types of special health care needs had problems obtaining needed care from specialty doctors in the preceding year, according to a national survey of 2,220 families of children with special health care needs in 20 states. Results from this study have been published in the October 2003 issue of the journal Mental Retardation.
http://www.aamr.org/Reading_Room/pdf/MR_Oct03article.pdf

*LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

** Holding Congress to a Promise: IDEA Negotiations
Mary Kusler, of the American Association of School Administrators, reports on the current funding status of the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA).
http://www.aasa.org/publications/sa/2003_10/federal_dateline.htm

** A Review of the Reauthorization Process in Legislation
The House and Senate have both introduced their respective bills (H.R. 1350 and S. 1248) in regards to the IDEA reauthorization process. The full House has passed its bill. In the Senate, the bill has been passed out of Committee and is awaiting consideration by the full Senate. Once both the full House and Senate have passed their respective bills, a Conference Committee will be appointed to report a final version of the legislation. This final version then goes back to both the House and Senate for a final vote. This will then be the version of the legislation that, once passed, goes to the President for signature and becomes law.
See http://health.senate.gov/bills/013_bill.html for the full text of the Senate's IDEA reauthorization bill (S. 1248).
See http://edworkforce.house.gov/issues/108th/education/idea/idea.htm for the full text of the House's IDEA reauthorization bill (H.R. 1350).

** Report on "The Keeping Families Together Act"
"The Keeping Families Together Act," introduced into congress this month, would lay a strong foundation for needed reforms by promoting access to needed services and reducing fragmentation in service delivery. The bill would increase the availability of home-based and community-based services and give states an incentive to continue to support such services. New York, Vermont, and Kansas can attest to the wisdom of this approach. Each state has improved outcomes and reduced costs in its child mental health system since adopting a Medicaid waiver that helps fund home-based and community-based services for children with mental health needs.
Summary of the bill at the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law: http://www.bazelon.org/newsroom/10-2-03familiestogether.htm

** Supporting Early Childhood Initiatives
This brief, published by the Finance Project, addresses strategies to ensure that policy makers hear the voices of children and families so that effective early childhood initiatives can be enacted, implemented, and sustained. It helps readers understand how they can influence the basic legislative processes of creating statutes, resolutions, budgets, and appropriations, and when to use alternatives to legislation. It includes examples and lessons learned from efforts across the county to support early childhood and other child and family initiatives in good times as well as bad.
http://www.financeprojectinfo.org/Publications/LegislativeStrategies.pdf

** Reforming Medicaid Provisions for Mental Health Care
This report, published by the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, analyzes recent proposals to change Medicaid from the perspective of adults and children with mental illnesses. These proposals have included plans to reduce the array of services that states must provide and to reduce the number of beneficiaries entitled to services.
http://www.bazelon.org/issues/medicaid/publications/choicesforweb.pdf

*OTHER RESOURCES AND INFORMATION

** Identifying and Addressing the Needs of Children in Grandparent Care
This report addresses the unique challenges faced by grandparents who are caregivers for young children. Research shows that grandparent caregivers, who often require specific services, are not as aware of the services available to them as are other relative caregivers. Therefore, service providers should target grandparent caregivers, raise awareness of the resources that they and their grandchild are eligible for, and improve access to resources.
http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=310842

** Mentoring Program Newsletter
The Jump Start initiative, a mentoring program for young adults with psychiatric disabilities, is highlighted in this latest issue of the Recovery & Rehabilitation Newsletter. Funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration, Jump Start addresses the recovery and vocational needs of the participating youth as they transition from school to higher education or to employment. A description of the Jump Start program, reflections from participants, as well as mentoring and transition resources are included.
http://www.bu.edu/cpr/rr/jumpstart/

** Handbook for Supporting Community Youth Researchers
Across the country, youth development efforts are going a step further and helping youth hone their skills and talents as active participants in their schools and communities. This handbook from The Gardner Center at Stanford University offers strategies and lesson plans to help students tackle "real world" problems that matter to them while learning valuable research and academic skills.
http://gardnercenter.stanford.edu/resources/handbook/

** The Role of the Faith Community in Strengthening Families
The National Campaign to Strengthen Families explores the role that faith communities play in helping families and neighborhoods become stronger. Four reports are available: the first looks closely at nine different community ministries, the second examines obstacles and advantages of faith-based family support for the urban poor, and the third is a how-to guide for congregations seeking to improve their services to families. The last report provides 38 suggestions to policymakers on how to promote faith-based family support without jeopardizing the constitutional principles of religious freedom and the separation of church and state.
http://www.aecf.org/lists/sf/sf_issue3_final.htm
Also, there are a series of reports on faith-based service initiatives available at Public/Private Ventures: http://www.ppv.org/content/faith1.html

Funds to support this activity come from the Child, Adolescent and Family Branch, Federal Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, U.S. Department of Education.

The Research and Training Center makes its products accessible to diverse audiences. If you need a publication or product in an alternative format, please contact the Publications Coordinator: 503.725.4175, rtcpubs@pdx.edu.

To unsubscribe from rtcUpdates, send a message to majordomo@lists.pdx.edu with the words "unsubscribe rtc" in the body of the message.

Back to AICAFMHA Homepage / News in Brief Index / Issue #3.20

Last Modified: 25-10-2003 15:07:59