Systems Collaboration with Schools and Treatment of Severely Emotionally Disturbed Children or Adolescents (original) (raw)
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Systems collaboration with schools and treatment of SED children or adolescents
This study explored the relationship between the level of systems collaboration with schools and outcomes for children diagnosed with serious emotional disorder and their families involved in integrative family and systems treatment, a home-based treatment program. Using data collected from 38 clients and their families, this study used a structural equation model to explore how systems collaboration with schools influenced children’s behavioral outcomes, parental competence, and family functioning. The squared multiple correlations from endogenous variables of the final model accounted for 31 percent of the variance in problem severity in children, 38 percent of the variance in level of functioning in children, 30 percent of the variance in parental competence with children, and 41 percent of the variance in family functioning. The final model indicated the following: Systems collaboration with schools positively influenced parental competence with children, which positively predicted level of functioning in children and negatively predicted problem severity in children. Although the limited sample size of the study precludes any definitive conclusions, implications of the study on the potential role of systems collaboration with schools in treating families with at-risk children or adolescents are explored and discussed.
Systems collaboration with schools and treatment of SED children or adolescents: I-FAST
Children & Schools, 35(3), 155-168, 2013
This study explored the relationship between the level of systems collaboration with schools and outcomes for children diagnosed with serious emotional disorder and their families involved in integrative family and systems treatment, a home-based treatment program. Using data collected from 38 clients and their families, this study used a structural equation model to explore how systems collaboration with schools influenced children’s behavioural outcomes, parental competence, and family functioning. The squared multiple correlations from endogenous variables of the final model accounted for 31 percent of the variance in problem severity in children, 38 percent of the variance in level of functioning in children, 30 percent of the variance in parental competence with children, and 41 percent of the variance in family functioning. The final model indicated the following: Systems collaboration with schools positively influenced parental competence with children, which positively predicted level of functioning in children and negatively predicted problem severity in children. Although the limited sample size of the study precludes any definitive conclusions, implications of the study on the potential role of systems collaboration with schools in treating families with at-risk children or adolescents are explored and discussed.
Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 39, 394-405, 2012
Systems collaboration has repeatedly been cited as a component of successful social service delivery. Through qualitative data, this study explored the process involved in inter-agency collaboration when providing Integrative Family and Systems Treatment (I-FAST) for families with severely emotionally or behaviorally disturbed children. Data were collected through a series of eight focus groups with 26 agency collaborators across 11 counties in Ohio. Data analysis revealed two emergent phenomena: the process of developing collaboration, consisting of making initial contact, a trial period and developing trust; and the key ingredients of collaboration, focusing on interpersonal and professional qualities. Implications of each theme are discussed.
Family Process, 48, 395-416, 2009
Community mental health agencies are consistently challenged to provide realistic and effective home-based family-centered treatment that meets local needs and can realistically fit within available budget and resource capabilities. Integrated Family and Systems Treatment (I-FAST) is developed based on existing evidence-based approaches for working with at-risk children, adolescents, and families and a strengths perspective. I-FAST identified 3 evidence-based, core treatment components and integrated them into a coherent treatment protocol; this is done in a way that builds on and is integrated with mental health agencies' existing expertise in home-based treatment. This is an intervention development study in which we conducted an initial feasibility trial of I-FAST for treating families with children at risk of out-of-home placement. The outcomes of the study provide initial empirical evidence that supports the effectiveness of I-FAST. Findings indicate that there were significant improvements in child behavior, significant increases in parental competency, and significant increases in the level of cohesion and adaptability in these families. All observed changes were significant from pre- to posttreatment with the families able to maintain these positive changes at 6-month follow-up. A more rigorous and robust research design, however, will be needed to establish definitive evidence of the effectiveness of I-FAST.
Evaluating systems of care: Missing links in children's mental health research
Journal of Community Psychology, 2004
Systems of care (SOCs) have been developed throughout the country to meet the needs of children with severe emotional disturbances (SED) and their families. In these SOCs, multiple agencies and disciplines are expected to work together with informal community supports to address families' needs . A review of the literature on the impact of SOCs suggests: (a) communities' service delivery systems change; and (b) children experience modest improvements in symptomatology and functioning. At the same time, little is known about (a) which components of the SOC approach, at what levels, are necessary to impact child and family outcomes; (b) the degree to which SOCs affect other family members, beyond the target child; and (c) the impact of community contexts and supports in SOCs. Future research should improve measurement of key SOC constructs, examine the relation between specific levels of implementation and outcomes for the entire family, and investigate the impact of broader community systems and supports on families within SOCs.