NCJ Number
227749
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 33 Issue: 6 Dated: June 2009 Pages: 372-381
Date Published
June 2009
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This study investigated interorganizational relationships (IORs) and their association with greater use of mental health services and improvement in mental health status for children served by the child welfare system.
Abstract
Results showed that agency-level factors accounted for significant variance in the probability of service use and mental health improvement. Greater intensity of IORs was associated with higher likelihood of both service use and mental health improvement, controlling for a variety of predisposing, enabling, and need factors. The health services utilization model posits that system-level factors affect individual service use in addition to factors that predispose individuals toward utilization and underlying need. The current study focused on IORs as a pivotal aspect of the child welfare system structure that might affect mental health service utilization and outcomes; the premise being that more child welfare agency cooperation with mental health service providers would lead to better outcomes for the children involved. Information exchanges among agencies could enhance assessments, planning, and coordination; the more ways child welfare agencies coordinated with mental health service providers, the better. Data were drawn from the Child Protective Services (CPS) cohort of the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being (NSCAW, 2004). Tables, figure, and references