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Administrative Barriers to the Adoption of High-Quality Mental Health Services for Children in Foster Care: A National Study

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Abstract

While the need to provide appropriate mental health services to children in foster care is well recognized, there is little information on administrative barriers to assuring that such services are provided. This article presents results from a national survey of mental health agencies to profile their awareness of currently available practice standards, the roles these standards play in guiding practice of mental health agencies, common reimbursement strategies in use for mental health services, and collaborations between mental health and child welfare agencies that enhance children’s access to appropriate mental health care. Implications and recommendations for mental health policymakers are discussed.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) through a partnership with the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) with advisory input from the Public-Private Partnership Subcommittee of a Technical Advisory Group convened by MCHB and ACF. Federal partners included the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The survey was developed and fielded by the National Center for Infant and Early Childhood Health Policy at the University of California, Los Angeles with funding from the MCHB. The authors thank Alex Zepeda for work on a previous version of this manuscript, Alan Steinberg for helpful suggestions on a previous version of this manuscript, and Preston Finley for assistance with the references. The opinions expressed in this article are those of its authors, and do not necessarily reflect those of MCHB, CMS, ACF, SAMHSA, or the National Center for Infant and Early Childhood Health Policy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Department of Psychiatry, Washington University in St. Louis, Campus Box 1196, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO, 63130, USA

    Ramesh Raghavan

  2. UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families, and Communities; Department of Health Services, University of California, Los Angeles, 1100 Glendon Ave Suite 850, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Moira Inkelas

  3. UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families, and Communities; Department of Social Welfare, University of California, Los Angeles, 1100 Glendon Ave Suite 850, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Todd Franke

  4. UCLA Center for Healthier Children, Families, and Communities; Department of Pediatrics; Department of Public Policy; Department of Health Services, University of California, Los Angeles, 1100 Glendon Ave Suite 850, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Neal Halfon

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Correspondence to Ramesh Raghavan.

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Raghavan, R., Inkelas, M., Franke, T. et al. Administrative Barriers to the Adoption of High-Quality Mental Health Services for Children in Foster Care: A National Study. Adm Policy Ment Health 34, 191–201 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-006-0095-6

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