This study explored the dynamics of collaborative, team-based efforts to provide child welfare services in the context of a public/private partnership model of service delivery. The major areas of exploration included interprofessional team processes, factors that contribute to team effectiveness, perceptions of family participation, and attitudes toward privatization in child welfare. The study used a survey design with a self-administered questionnaire delivered to a purposive sample of 165 child welfare and community professionals who were members of interprofessional child welfare teams in a Midwest, urban county. The findings indicate that respect and unity of purpose predict team satisfaction, and that agency type predicts attitudes toward public/private partnership and some aspects of family participation.
The high prevalence of child and adolescent mental health disorders coupled with shortages in age-appropriate mental health services pose a significant problem likely to be exacerbated over time. A survey was designed to identify the current status of and need for child and adolescent psychiatrists (CAPs) and mental health services, as well as strategies and recommendations to address identified needs in the state of New York. Key informants from each county and New York City were surveyed by telephone (N = 58). Most respondents identified a shortage of child and adolescent psychiatry services and reported that when CAPs are unavailable, nurse practitioners (NPs) are currently among the top four professional groups who prescribe and/or monitor psychotropic medication. Almost half of the respondents (48%) identified employing NPs with advanced certification in child and adolescent psychiatry as a promising strategy to improve access to care. Addressing the shortage of CAPs can provide an opportunity for the nursing profession to advance its role in the provision of mental health services to youth.
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