Family Guide to Systems of Care for Children With Mental Health Needs

Family Guide to Systems of Care for Children With Mental Health Needs

Caring for Every Child’s Mental Health Campaign is a national public education initiative emphasizing attention to children’s and adolescents’ mental health. It supports the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program, in place in communities across the Nation, which is demonstrating the effectiveness of systems of care in meeting the services needs and improving the lives of children with serious emotional disturbances (SEDs) and their families. This campaign is managed by the Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The guide is intended to help parents and caregivers seek help for children with mental health needs. Information is provided on what parents and caregivers need to know, ask, expect, and do to get the most out of their experience with systems of care.

For information about child and adolescent mental health, contact:
SAMHSA’s National Mental Health Information Center

P.O. Box 42490
Washington , DC 20015
Toll-free: 1.800.789.2647 (English/Spanish)
TDD: 1.866.889.2647
mentalhealth.samhsa.gov

About the Family Guide
This bilingual family guide was first printed in December 1998 with the support of the Child, Adolescent and Family Branch of the Center for Mental Health Services, part of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. One of the most popular print publications of the Caring for Every Child’s Mental Health Campaign, the Family Guide is intended to inform caregivers and families about how to seek help for children with mental health problems. Information is provided on what caregivers and families need to know, ask, expect, and do to get the most out of their experience with systems of care.

The content and format of the guide was determined by families from across the country, and it was written by a diverse team of experts led by the Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health. The initial text for the guide was developed by Families and Communities Equal Success of Stark County, OH. Rhode Island Parent Support Network of Warwick, RI, field-tested the guide’s content, relevance, usefulness, and format.

The Spanish version of the guide was initially adapted by a contractor to the Federation of Families and was reviewed for readability and cultural relevance by staff from Roxbury Unites for Families and Children, Inc. of Massachusetts; Parents for Behaviorally Different Children of New Mexico; and Abriendo Puertas of Florida.

In 2005, the guide was updated to reflect the current state of the science in mental health service delivery, as well as to ensure that it supports the recommendations called for in the report of the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health.

abrir aquí para acceder al documento SAMHSA completo (extenso):
Family Guide to Systems of Care for Children With Mental Health Needs

o bien, abrir aquí para acceder al documento en su versión PDF de 30 páginas:
http://download.ncadi.samhsa.gov/ken/pdf/SMA05-4054/SMA05-4054.pdf