Abstract
Efforts to move the system of care for children with serious emotional disorders toward community-based alternatives has prompted a growing recognition of the need for supportive services for families. This article examines the shifts in policy and administrative practice that are needed in order to move toward a family-centered system of care. Proactive administrative support is particularly important in this system shift. Four important barriers to a family-centered system of care are examined: (1) efforts have tended to focus on the child as the unit of services, rather than on the family; (2) efforts have tended to focus primarily on mental health services, rather than considering the full range of services needed by the child and family; (3) efforts have tended to emphasize formal services, often ignoring the support provided by informal networks; and (4) the resources and expertise of parents and other family members have not been used. New roles for parents—which involve working with administrators and providers as partners—are described, and implications for mental health administrators and researchers are discussed.
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Friesen, B.J., Koroloff, N.M. Family-centered services: Implications for mental health administration and research. The Journal of Mental Health Administration 17, 13–25 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02518576
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02518576