Publications

“If We’re Going to Change Things, It Has to Be Systemic:” Systems Change in Children's Mental Health

This paper explores the concept of "systemic" in the context of systems of care. Systems theory is used to understand strategies of purposeful systems change undertaken by stakeholders in established system of care communities. The paper presents a conceptual model of systems change for systems of care that is grounded in data from a national study of system of care implementation (Research and Training Center for Children's Mental Health, 2004).

Families And Communities Together Presents: A Data Framework for Addressing the Needs of Seminole County’s Children, Youth & Families. KNOW THE FACTS.

As a federally funded system of care site, Families And Communities Together has access to a broad array of national technical assistance and training, including a contractual agreement with the University of South Florida, College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, to conduct national and local evaluations. This report, produced by Florida KIDS COUNT, provides facts and figures on the Seminole County population under age 19.

Youth Suicide Prevention School-based Guide: 2012 Edition

Designed to provide accurate, user-friendly information for school administrators, staff, and faculty, the Guide is now available online and printed copies can be purchased.

Florida Agency for Health Care Administration Reports

During the last decade, the Medicaid program has become an increasingly important element of the mental health treatment system in Florida.

Supporting Parents Who Have Youth with Emotional Disturbances Through a Parent-to-Parent Support Program

Published in the Journal: Administration & Policy in Mental Health & Mental Health Services Research (Online First)

Data Trends: Summaries of Current Research Findings in the Children's Mental Health Field

Data Trends were produced from 1999-2010 through the Research & Training Center for Children's Mental Health to increase the dissemination of current research findings in the area of children's mental health services.

Increasing Utilization: Strategies for Engaging Culturally/Racially Diverse Children and their Families in Mental Health Services

This monograph was developed to increase awareness of the impact of culture on the utilization of mental health services and to provide field-based examples of strategies that can increase utilization for culturally/racially diverse children and families.

ConnectFamilias Partnership Evaluation Reports 2009 & 2010

These reports reveal how Connect Familias uses a wraparound model to improve the well being of children and families by reducing violence and delivering non-duplicative, culturally appropriate and seamless wraparound services.

Phase I - III Reports: Developing Sustainable Infrastructure in Support of Quality Field-Based Practice

These documents report on Phases I, II and III of SIP and report how the Children's Board of Hillsborough County can maximize investment in locally developed programsm and promote, implement, and sustain best practice for positive child and family outcomes.

FASST Implementation Toolkit: Developing Sustainable Infrastructure in Support of Quality Field-Based Practice

This toolkit was produced as part of Developing Sustainable Infrastructure in Support of Quality Field-Based Practice (SIP) project, a collaborative effort of The Children’s Board of Hillsborough County Children’s Future Hillsborough, Family and School Support Teams (FASST), and the USF Department of Child and Family Studies. The toolkit has been designed to support implementation of the FASST
program as intended based on the current program theory.

System Implementation Site-Based Reports

This series of reports, based on findings from Case Studies of System Implementation, will provide readers with a summary of lessons learned from established system of care communities.

Serving Everyone at the Table: Strategies for Enhancing the Availability of Culturally Competent Mental Health Services

This monograph aims to increase awareness of the impact of culture on the availability of mental health services with the goal of improving services for culturally/racially diverse families in ways that reduce mental health disparities. The monograph is second in a series outlining successful strategies for increasing access, availability, and utilization of services at the organizational and direct service levels.

Asset-Based Approaches for LGBTQI2-S Youth and Families in Systems of Care

Families with a parent, child, or youth who is lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, intersex, two-spirit (LGBTQI2-S) or transitioning navigate varying levels of acceptance and support when accessing and utilizing needed services within the mental health system. A new monograph offers a public health approach for communities to meet the needs of these families.

Let’s Go! A Guide to Getting Around Your Community in Florida

County-by-County Transportation Information and Services for Persons with Developmental Disabilities and Their Families

22nd Annual Research Conference Proceedings

Features presentation summaries from symposia, paper presentations and poster presentations, organized around the central themes of the annual research conference.

Examining the Relationship between Family-Run Organizations and Non-Family Organization Partners in Systems of Care

This study investigates how family voice, as represented through family-run organizations, contributes to the context of the overall mental health system, and the implementation of an effective system of care.

Parent to Parent: A Synthesis of the Emerging Literature

This literature review attempts to provide a synthesis of the emerging literature pertaining to parent-to-parent support. The purpose of this review is twofold: (1) to uncover any evidence of the effectiveness of parent-to-parent support; and (2) to examine the concepts, constructs, and key elements of parent-to-parent that should be considered when designing a program (i.e., case management, training, and contact methods).

The Role of Mental Health Services in Promoting Safe and Secure Schools

This guidebook is part of a series developed by the Hamilton Fish Institute on School and Community Violence and the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory (NWREL) to provide resources, tools, and guidance for creating safe school settings and involving the community in supporting students of all ages.

Refinement of an Instrument to Measure Mental Health Literacy and Examination of Interventions to Enhance Mental Health Literacy

This paper reports on the continued refinement of an instrument to measure mental health literacy among caregivers of children with SED and their providers.

Mental Health Service Patterns among Medicaid-Eligible Children: Disparities and Differences in Beliefs and Service Access

This report shares findings about mental health issues and service effectiveness as expressed by parents of Medicaid-eligible children from white, Hispanic, and African American families.

Patterns of Service Utilization among Children in the Child Protection System Under Implementation of Child Welfare Prepaid Mental Health Plan

This report profiles efforts to examine the effect of child individual characteristics, child maltreatment histories, diagnoses, and the Child Welfare-Prepaid Mental Health Plan (CW-PMHP) on mental health service utilization.

21st Annual Research Conference Proceedings

Features presentation summaries from symposia, paper presentations and poster presentations, organized around the central themes and full agenda of the annual research conference.

Report to the Legislature: Evaluation of the Department of Children and Families Community-Based Care Initiative Fiscal Year 2006-2007

This evaluation examines the status of Community-Based Care (CBC) in Florida, with a special focus on child and family outcomes, quality, and cost.

AHCA Highlights Policy Brief 1: Using Research to Shape Future Directions of Children’s Managed Mental Health Care

Through a contractual arrangement with the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA),CFS conducted studies of Florida’s implementation of managed mental health care over the past 11 years (1996–2006).

System Implementation Issue Briefs

This series of issue briefs are based on findings from RTC Study 2: Case Studies of System Implementation.

Family Driven Care: Are We There Yet?

This report acquaints readers with the concept of family-driven care for children who have emotional and behavioral disturbances. From this context, the authors provide information about evidence-based practices that are effective interventions to help the children and their families. This information will help families, educators, and mental health service providers plan effective interventions for the children in their care.

Florida IV-E Waiver Demonstration Evaluation Progress Reports and Issue Briefs

The Florida Department of Children and Families contracted with CFS to evaluate the state's IV-E Waiver Demonstration program which allows Florida's 20 Community-Based Care lead agencies to spend federal dollars previously earmarked for out-of-home care on an array of prevention and diversion services.

Quick Guide for Self-Assessment of Family-Run Organizations in Systems of Care

The Quick Guide is for use by family-run organizations.

Organizational Cultural Competence: A Review of Assessment Protocols

This monograph provides a new understanding of field-based, systemic and measurable organizational factors that lead to cultural competence in organizations and systems.

Examining the Research Base Supporting Cultural Competence in Children’s Mental Health Services

This review identifies and describes organizational factors associated with increased access for ethnically/racial diverse children and their families to quality mental health services and supports.

Applying a Theory of Change Approach to Interagency Planning in Child Mental Health

This paper describes the use of a theory of change approach to community-based cross-agency service planning in Contra Costa County, California for a population of youth who had been arrested and involved with juvenile probation.

Voices from the Field: A Blueprint for Schools to Increase the Involvement of Families Who Have Children with Emotional Disturbances

This document describes how the school and mental health systems can increase the involvement of parents in developing and assisting with services for their children with serious emotional disturbances.

Assumptions, Indicators and Descriptors for the Family Voice Study: Assessing the Role of Family Organizations in Developing Family Voice in Systems of Care

Research suggests that systems of care with strong family voice have certain characteristics. The Family Voice Assumptions, Indicators and Descriptions (FV-AID) Chart identifies these characteristics which are listed in the first column as Assumptions.

Strategies for System of Care Development: Making Change in Complex Systems

This article describes adaptation of the framework from Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System Framework to systems of care.

Independent Assessment of the New Jersey’s Children’s Behavioral Health Care System

In 2006 the State of New Jersey contracted with the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida for an independent assessment of its evolving children’s behavioral health system. This report contains the findings and recommendations of the assessment.

School-Based Mental Health: An Empirical Guide for Decision-Makers

The "Yellow Book" provides a discussion of barriers to school-based services with the intention of improving service effectiveness and capacity.

Educating Students with Emotional Disturbances: A National Perspective on Programs and Services

This article presents results of a study of students with emotional disturbances (ED) and their experiences at the elementary, middle, and high school grade levels.

Examining the Impact of Policy on Collaboration in Systems of Care.

This paper reports on the methods and outcomes of a two-phase study designed to determine the relationship between the mechanisms that have been used to establish systems of care and their resulting levels of collaboration.

Financing Structures and Strategies to Support Effective Systems of Care: RTC Study 3 Products

This study was the first to thoroughly investigate cross-agency financing structures and strategies, and provides important information about finance policies that can assist communities across the country.

Community-based Theories of Change: Study Background and Design

This article discusses the background and design of the Community-based Theories of Change Study.

Findings: Examining the Impact of Policy on Collaboration in Systems of Care

This article discusses how policy implementation affects collaboration at the state and community levels. Collaboration, in turn, contributes to effective systems of care.

Building the Workforce Plan for Children's Mental Health

Discussion centers around the formation of the National Strategic Plan on Workforce Development in Behavioral Health. Includes a discussion of the Annapolis Coalition and its efforts related to workforce recruitment and retention. Ten strategic workforce goals are presented.

Organizational Structures and Processes within an Evidence-based Practice: Cross-site Findings from a Study of Teaching Family Organizations

Describes phase II findings of the Community-based Theories of Change Study.

Community-based Theories of Change: Overview of Findings

Discusses results to date of the Community-based Theories of Change study. Four characteristics from this cross-site cross-phase study are also discussed: identity, integration, initiative, and innovation. The study examines organizational structures and processes that human service organizations believe allow them to carry out their mission and goals and to sustain this effort over time.

The Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS) and the National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS2): Study Designs and Implications for Youth With Emotional Disturbance

This article describes design features of two longitudinal studies, the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS) and the National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS2), and to outline their potential implications for policy, practice, research, advocacy, and system development for children and youth with emotional disturbances (ED).

The System of Care Twenty Years Later

In this chapter the authors discuss the current impact and relevancy of the system of care model for the children’s mental health services system.

Enhancing the Influence of Psychologists on Public Policy: Will More of the Same Do It?

In this article, Robert Friedman draws on over 25 years experience to address how, as a field, psychology can more effectively prepare graduate students and conduct its own research to strengthen the contribution to policy.

Transformation Work Group Report

This report describes the compatibility of the SOC vision, values and principles, and general practices with those expressed by the President’s New Freedom Commission. 

Real Manuals for Real Teachers

The four teacher-friendly manuals serve as guides to the implementation of evidence-based practices by special education teachers.

Implementation Research: A Synthesis of the Literature

Summarizes findings from the review of the research literature on implementation. 

The Children and Youth We Serve: A National Picture of the Characteristics of Students with Emotional Disturbances Receiving Special Education

This article provides a national perspective of children and youth with emotional disturbances (ED) served in special education using data from the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS) and the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2).

Effective Systems of Care: A Summary of Implementation Factors

To guide its research, and to assist states and communities, the Center has developed a model of factors that it believes contribute to implementation of effective systems of care. This handout identifies and summarizes these factors.

Evidence-Based Practices, Systems of Care, & Individualized Care

This paper describes an exploratory study on the relationship between systems of care with an individualized care component, which brings family, youth (where appropriate), members of the natural support system, and members of the formal service system together to develop plans that reflect a comprehensive focus on strengths and needs of families in multiple life domains.

Health Care Reform Tracking Project: The Promising Approaches Series

These papers focus on a specific aspect of publicly-financed managed care systems and are intended to be technical assistance resources for states and communities as they refine their systems to better serve children and families.

Transforming Mental Health Care for Children and Their Families

Discusses recommendations of the President's New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. Addresses critical infrastructure, practice, and research. Focuses on the work of the commission's Subcommittee on Children and describes a vision for mental health service delivery for children with emotional and behavioral disorders and their families.

Systematically Examining School Improvement Activities Including Special Education

This report provides sytematic information about school reform and improvement and its relationship to special education.

The Mental Health Needs of Youth with Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities Placed in Special Education Programs In Urban Schools

This paper describes the psychosocial characteristics of youth served in special education due to emotional disturbances in urban communities (N = 158).

Mental Health Services: A Public Health Perspective

This chapter reviews the child mental health policy of the United States and identifies key policy issues at a time when greater attention is being paid to the area of children's mental health.

The Youth Suicide Prevention School-Based Guide

The Guide is a tool that provides a framework for schools to assess their existing or proposed suicide prevention efforts (through a series of checklists) and provides resources and information that school administrators can use to enhance or add to their existing program. First, checklists can be completed to help evaluate the adequacy of the schools' suicide prevention programs. Second, information is offered in a series of issue briefs corresponding to a specific checklist.

Family Experience of The Mental Health System (FEMHS) — Findings Compendium

The Findings Compendium provides a brief summary of the Research and Training Center for Children’s Mental Health Study of the Family Experience of the Mental Health System (FEMHS).

System of Care Checklists from the Family Experience of the Mental Health System (FEMHS) Study

The Family Experience of the Mental Health System was designed to meet a need for information from family perspectives about service access and delivery, as well as about specific aspects of services that are most and least helpful. Based on the experiences of the families in the study, as well as evidence-based and promising practices, these checklists can help guide the development of systems of care as they address child and family issues of: medication; decisions and responsibilities of care; pathways and access to care; and, helpfulness of formal organizations and informal supports.

A Study of Service Innovations that Enhance Systems of Care: Expanding the Array of Services using Networks of Providers in Community Based Integrated Systems of Care

This paper describes results and implications from a study designed to explore innovative service system practices in nine sites.

Building upon Theory of Change for Systems of Care

This article describes the concept of systems of care for children with serious emotional disturbance and their families.

Developmental Framework for Collaboration in Child-serving Agencies

This article presents a developmental framework for collaboration in child-serving agencies that is based on the experience of families, service providers, administrators, and community members who have been involved in local collaborative processes in their own communities. The results of this project indicate that while well-developed collaboration is a necessary component of collaboration, it is not sufficient in and of itself.

Improving Outcomes for Students Through the Application of a Public Health Model to School Psychology: A Commentary

This overview contains a summary of the application of public health principles and concepts, which have the potential to improve outcomes for children served in our schools.

The Child Behavior Checklist/4-18

This chapter presents the Child Behavior Checklist/4-18 as one of the most widely used parent report forms of children’s psychological behavior. The checklist was designed to measure competencies and problems in children 4 to 18 years of age. The chapter reviews a broad range of issues regarding the checklist, including: the theoretical basis, the range of applicability and limitations, the accommodations for populations with disabilities, and the legal and ethical considerations in using this instrument.

Crafting Logic Models for Systems of Care: Ideas Into Action

This monograph is designed to provide a guide for communities engaged in developing systems of care. It provides a straightforward method that system stakeholders can use to turn their ideas into tangible action-oriented strategies for achieving their goals for system development.

What is Case Management?

Although case management has become a common intervention for children served through multiple systems, it can be quite variable in implementation. This chapter addresses the necessity to define case management in terms of common components and diverse models prior to exploring the evidence base for practice. This chapter also examines significant studies to date regarding the effectiveness of case management approaches.

Community-based Interventions in a System of Care and Outcome Framework.

This chapter summarizes the various initiatives and research findings that are driving the shift in the children’s mental health services system from the almost exclusive reliance on office-based or residential treatment to a community-based continuum of service options.

The National Evaluation of the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services Program for Children and their Families Program. A Commentary.

This commentary appeared in a special issue describing the national evaluation of the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program.

The Impact of Managed Care on Systems of Care that Serve Children with Serious Emotional Disturbances and their Families

This article describes findings from a qualitative study evaluating the impact of managed care reforms on a select sample of systems of care funded by the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program. This study’s analyses reveal conditions and factors necessary to maintain a system-of-care-philosophy and approach in a managed care environment.

Child and Adolescent Mental Health: Recommendations for Improvement by State Mental Health Commissions

Between 1997 and 2001, 13 states had commissions that reviewed their state mental health system. This manuscript reviews the findings and recommendations from the reports of these commissions with regard to child and adolescent mental health.

A School, Family, and Community Collaborative Program for Children who have Emotional Disturbances

This article provides the rationale, development, implementation and evaluation of a school-based program for students with emotional disturbances and who are served in a special education setting.

A Conceptual Framework for Developing and Implementing Effective Policy in Children’s Mental Health (2002)

This article presents a framework to be used in studying public policy development and implementation in children’s mental health.

Creating Change and Keeping it Real: How Excellent Child-serving Organizations Carry out their Goals: Cross-Site Findings for Phase I of Community Based Theories of Change

Community-Based Theories of Change is a national study funded by the federal Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS-SAMHSA) and National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research that is designed to address how human service organizations carry out their mission and goals, how they transfer their policy agendas across stakeholders, and how they sustain their service strategies over time. This report summarizes the cross-site findings of Community-Based Theories of Change and presents lessons learned across the three participating sites in 2002.

Child and Adolescent Mental Health: Recommendations for Improvement by State Mental Health Commissions

This report identifies and summarizes state views regarding efforts to address the mental health needs of children and adolescents, and their families.

Overview of the National Evaluation of the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program.

This lead article to the special issue of the Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders provides an overview of the methodology and status of the national evaluation of the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program, conducted by ORC Macro, Inc., in collaboration with the University of South Florida and other partners.

A Comparison of the Academic Progress of Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities and Students with Learning Disabilities.

This article presents findings from a study comparing academic progress over five years for students with emotional and behavioral disorders and students with learning disabilities. Factors related to academic achievement (attendance, behavior offenses, type of special education setting, school mobility and early retention) were examined as to their contribution to achievement over time for these two groups.

The Practice of Psychology with Children, Adolescents, and Their Families: A Look to the Future

This chapter reviews the changes that have been made in the children’s mental health field in the last two decades, and examines some of the challenges that the field now faces. It discusses such issues as systems of care, individualized care, financing of services, accountability, and evidence-based practice.

Child and Adolescent Measures of Functional Status

This chapter provides an overview of the commonly used assessments to measure functioning in children and adolescents.

The School and Community Study: Characteristics of Students who have Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities Served in Restructuring Public Schools

This article presents preliminary results from an ongoing study of the effects of school reform and restructuring on students with serious emotional and behavioral disabilities (SED).

The Ecology of Outcomes: System Accountability in Children’s Mental Health

This article presents the Ecology of Outcomes framework, which provides a foundation for the utilization of information so that outcome information can provide opportunities for learning and self-correction.

State Health Care Reforms: How They Affect Children and Adolescents with Emotional Disorders and Their Families

This article presents baseline results of the Health Care Reform Tracking Project, a national study designed to describe and analyze state health care reforms and their impact on children and adolescents with emotional disorders and their families.

National Adolescent and Child Treatment Study (NACTS): Outcomes for Children with Serious Emotional and Behavioral Disturbance

This article describes the results of a seven-year longitudinal study designed to gather information on the demographics and family characteristics, level of psychological and adaptive functioning, services received, and outcomes of children with serious emotional disturbances.

Co-occurring Addictive and Mental Disorders Among Adolescents: Prevalence Research and Future Directions

This article reviews existing literature on the prevalence of adolescents with co-occurring addictive and mental disorders (COAMD), and emphasizes the need for adolescent COAMD assessment practices that differ methodologically and conceptually from assessment of adults with COAMD.

Prevalence of Serious Emotional Disturbance in Children and Adolescents

This chapter presents the findings of a group of technical experts who met to consider estimation methodologies for establishing prevalence of children with serious emotional disturbance.

The Evaluation of the Fort Bragg Demonstration Project: An Alternative Interpretation of the Findings

The article offers an interpretation of the findings of the Fort Bragg Demonstration Project evaluation that differs in many important ways from the evaluation results provided in this special issue of the Journal of Mental Health Administration and in a book published by the evaluators.

A System of Care for Children and Youth with Severe Emotional Disturbances

This monograph explores the development of comprehensive systems of care for children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances and their families.

Characteristics related to family involvement in youth residential mental health treatment

This study examined family involvement among youth in residential mental health treatment facilities in Florida. Data were obtained from the provider reports from January 2005 through December 2007. Treatment episodes were divided into 30-day periods with family involvement measured by the number of contacts by all family members, the mother, and the father.