Challenges and Opportunities in Children’s Mental Health

A View from Families and Youth

By the National Center for Children in Poverty

July 29, 2006

Summary

This report adopts a family and youth perspective to discuss what isn’t working — and what can be done about it — in regards to children’s behavioral health policies and services. It is the byproduct of a meeting hosted by the National Center of Children in Poverty and shares the views of 16 stakeholders in the child behavioral health field.

Table of Contents

Key Takeaway

When it comes to pediatric behavioral health care, families and kids are still on the outside looking in

This report identifies 19 roadblocks to creating a family-driven, youth-guided approach to serving kids with behavioral health concerns. These challenges include a misplaced focus on mental illness instead of mental wellness, a shortage of family-focused research methods and the continued exclusion of families from treatment decisions.

Findings & Stats

Statements & Quotations