Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2plfb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-24T06:40:33.089Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Assisting Carers to Respond to the Mental Health Needs of Children

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 February 2017

Josh Fergeus*
Affiliation:
Department of Social Work, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
Cathy Humphreys
Affiliation:
Department of Social Work, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
Carol Harvey
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
Helen Herrman
Affiliation:
Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental Health, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
*
address for correspondence: Josh Fergeus, Department of Social Work, University of Melbourne, Parkville VIC 3010. E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract

Across the developed world, efforts are being made to identify and develop effective interventions that will reduce the prevalence and severity of mental health problems among children and young people in out-of-home care. Foster and kinship carers have been identified as critically important in this process. In order to develop an understanding of what interventions and/or supports assist carers in responding effectively to the mental health needs of the children and young people in their care, a scoping review was undertaken. Using the scoping study method, 1064 publications were identified, and 82 publications were selected for further analysis. The review shows that promising interventions that aim to improve the mental health of children and young people living in out-of-home care have been developed and trialled both in Australia and internationally. However, the review also highlights the lack of research specifically focused on the role of the carer.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2017 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Administration for Children & Families (ACF) (2005). CPS sample component wave 1 data analysis report. Washington DC: Administration for Children & Families.Google Scholar
Arksey, H., & O'Malley, L. (2005). Scoping studies: Towards a methodological framework. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 8, 1932.Google Scholar
Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2016). Child protection Australia 2014–15. Child Welfare Series, 63, Canberra.Google Scholar
Baker, A. J. L., Kurland, D., Curtis, P., Alexander, G., & Papa-Lentini, C. (2007). Mental health and behavioural problems of youth in the child welfare system: Residential treatment centers compared to therapeutic foster care in the Odyssey Project population. Journal of Child Welfare, 86 (3), 97123.Google Scholar
Beck, A. (2006). Addressing the mental health needs of looked after children who move placement frequently. Journal of Adoption & Fostering, 30 (2), 5363.Google Scholar
Bellamy, J. L., Gopalan, G., & Traube, D. E. (2010). A national study of the impact of outpatient mental health services for children in long-term foster care. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 15 (4), 467479.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Biehal, N., Dixon, J., Parry, E., & Sinclair, I. (2011). The care placements evaluation (CaPE) of Multidimensional treatment foster care for adolescents (MTFC-A). York, United Kingdom: United Kingdom Department of Education.Google Scholar
Biehal, N., Ellison, S., & Sinclair, I. (2011). Intensive fostering: an independent evaluation of MTFC in an English setting. Children and Youth Services Review, 33 (10), 20432049.Google Scholar
Blower, A., Addo, A., Hodgson, J., Lamington, L., & Towlson, K. (2004). Mental health of “looked after” children: A needs assessment. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 9 (1), 117129.Google Scholar
Brannan, A. M., Heflinger, C. A., & Foster, E. M. (2003). The role of caregiver strain and other variables in determining children's use of mental health services. Journal of Emotional and Behavioural Disorders, 11 (2), 791.Google Scholar
Christenson, B. L. (2006). An empirical-based evaluation model of recruitment, preservice training, support, and retention of kinship and non-kinship foster/adoptive families. Moscow, USA: University of Idaho.Google Scholar
Cousins, W., Taggart, L., & Milner, S. (2010). Looked after or overlooked? An exploratory investigation of the mental health issues of adolescents living in state care in Northern Ireland. Journal of Psychology, Health & Medicine, 15 (5), 497506.Google Scholar
Damnjanovic, M., Lakic, A., Stevanovic, D., Jovanovic, A., Jancic, J., Jovanovic, M., & Leposavic, L. (2012). Self-assessment of the quality of life of children and adolescents in the child welfare system of Serbia. Vojnosanit Pregl, 69 (6), 469474.Google Scholar
DosReis, S., Zito, J., Safer, D. J., & Soeken, K. L. (2001). Mental health services for youths in foster sare and disabled youths. American Journal of Public Health, 91, 10941099.Google Scholar
Dozier, M., Higley, E., Albus, K., & Nutter, A. (2002). Intervening with foster infants' caregivers: Targeting three critical needs. Infant Mental Health Journal, 23 (5), 541554.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dozier, M., Peloso, E., Lewis, E., Laurenceau, J., & Levine, S. (2008). Effects of an attachment-based intervention on the cortisol production of infants and toddlers in foster care. Development and Psychopathology, 20, 845859.Google Scholar
Everson-Hock, E. S., Jones, R., Guillame, L., Clapton, J., Goyder, E., Chilcott, J. . . . Swann, C. (2012). The effectiveness of training and support for carers and other professionals on the physical and emotional health and well-being of looked-after children and young people: A systematic review. Sheffield, United Kingdom: The University of Sheffield.Google Scholar
Farmer, E. M. Z., Burns, B. J., Chapman, M. V., Phillips, S. D., Angold, A., & Costello, E. J. (2001). Use of mental health services by youth in contact with social services. Social Services Review, 75 (4), 605624.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Farmer, E. M. Z., Burns, B. J., Wagner, H. R., Murray, M., & Southerland, D. G. (2010). Enhancing “usual practice” treatment foster care: Findings from a randomized trial on improving youths' outcomes. Journal of Psychiatric Services, 61 (6), 555561.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ferrara, P., Romani, L., Bottaro, G., Ianniello, F., Fabrizio, G.C., Chiaretti, A., & Alvaro, F. (2013). The physical and mental health of children in foster care. Iranian Journal of Public Health, 42 (4), 368373.Google Scholar
Fisher, P. A., & Kim, H. K. (2007). Intervention effects on foster preschooler's attachment-related behaviors from a randomized trial. Journal of Prevention Science, 8, 161170.Google Scholar
Fisher, P., Gunnar, M., Chamberlain, P., & Reid, J. (2000). Preventive intervention for maltreated preschool children: Impact on children's behaviour, neuroendocrine activity, and foster parent functioning. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 39, 13561364.Google Scholar
Fisher, P., Stoolmiller, M., Gunnar, M., & Burraston, B. (2007). Effects of a therapeutic intervention for foster preschoolers on diurnal cortisol activity. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 32, 892905.Google Scholar
Ford, T., Vostanis, P., Meltzer, H., & Goodman, R. (2007). Psychiatric disorder among British children looked after by local authorities: Comparison with children living in private households. British Journal of Psychiatry, 190, 319325.Google Scholar
Frederico, M., Long, M., McNamara, P., McPherson, L., Rose, R., & Gilbert, K. (2012). The circle program: An evaluation of a therapeutic approach to foster care. Melbourne, Australia: Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare.Google Scholar
Garcia, A., & Courtney, M. (2011). Prevalence and predictors of utilization among racially and ethnically diverse adolescents in foster care diagnosed with mental health and substance abuse disorders. Journal of Public Child Welfare, 5 (5), 521545.Google Scholar
Golding, K. S. (2010). Multi-agency and specialist working to meet the mental health needs of children in care and adopted. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 15 (4), 573587.Google Scholar
Goodman, A., & Goodman, R. (2012). Strengths and difficulties questionnaire scores and mental health in looked after children. British Journal of Psychiatry, 200, 426427.Google Scholar
Green, J. M., Biehal, N., Roberts, C., Dixon, J., Kay, C., Parry, E., . . . Sinclair, I. (2014). Multidimensional treatment foster care for adolescents in english care: Randomised trial and observational cohort evaluation. British Journal of Psychiatry, 204, 214221.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Herczog, M., Van Pagee, R., & Pasztor, E. M. (2001). Multinational transfer of competency-based foster parent assessment, selection, and training: A nine-country case study. Child Welfare, 80 (5), 631643.Google Scholar
Hughes, D. (2004). An attachment-based treatment of maltreated children and young people. Attachment and Human Development, 6, 263278.Google Scholar
Hussey, D. L., & Guo, S. (2005). Characteristics and trajectories of treatment foster care youth. Child Welfare, 84 (4), 485506.Google Scholar
James, S., Landsverk, J., Slymen, D. J., & Leslie, L. K. (2004). Predictors of outpatient mental health service use – role of foster care placement change. Mental Health Services Research, 6, 127141.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lawrence, C., Carlson, E., & Egeland, B. (2006). The impact of foster care on development, Development and Psychopathology, 18, 5776.Google Scholar
Leathers, S. J. (2006). Placement disruption and negative placement outcomes among adolescents in long-term foster care: The role of behaviour problems. Child Abuse and Neglect, 30, 307324.Google Scholar
Leslie, L. K., Gordon, J. N., Meneken, L., Premji, K., Michelmore, K. L., & Ganger, W. (2005). The physical, developmental, and mental health needs of young children in child welfare by initial placement type. Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 26 (3), 177185.Google Scholar
Levac, D., Colquhoun, H., & O'Brien, K. (2010). Scoping studies: Advancing the methodology. Implementation Science. Retrieved from http://www.implementationscience.com/content/5/1/69.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lutz, L., & Agosti, J. (2005). Recruitment and retention of resources families: Promising practices and lessons learned. Seattle: Casey Family Programs.Google Scholar
McAuley, C., & Young, C. (2006). The mental health of looked after children: Challenges for CAMHS provision. Journal of Social Work Practice, 20 (1), 91103.Google Scholar
McHugh, M. (2013). An exploratory study of risks to stability in Foster and kinship care in NSW: final report. NSW: Social Policy Research Centre.Google Scholar
Milburn, N. L., Lynch, M., & Jackson, J. (2008). Early identification of mental health needs for children in care. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 13 (1), 3147.Google Scholar
Minnis, H., & Del Priore, C. (2001). Mental health services for looked after children: Implications from two studies. Journal of Adoption and Fostering, 25, 2738.Google Scholar
Newton, R. R., Litrownki, A. J., & Landsverk, J. A. (2000). Children and youth in foster care: Distangling the relationship between problem behaviours and number of placements. Journal of Child Abuse & Neglect, 24 (10), 13631374.Google Scholar
Oswald, S. H., Heil, K., & Goldbeck, L. (2010). History of maltreatment and mental health problems in foster children: A review of the literature. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 35 (5), 462472.Google Scholar
Robst, J., Armstrong, M., Dollard, N., & Rohrer, L. (2013). Arrests among youth after out-of-home mental health treatment comparisons across community and residential treatment settings. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health, 23 (3), 162176.Google Scholar
Sawyer, M. G., Carbone, J. A., Searle, A. K., & Robinson, P. (2007). The mental health and wellbeing of children and adolescents in home-based foster care. The Medical Journal of Australia, 186 (4), 181184.Google Scholar
Schneiderman, J. U., Smith, C., & Palinkas, L. A. (2012). The caregiver as gatekeeper for accessing health care for children in foster care: A qualitative study of kinship and unrelated caregivers. Child Youth Services Review, 34 (10), 21232130.Google Scholar
Schneiderman, J. U., & Villagrana, M. (2010). Meeting children's mental and physical health needs in child welfare: The importance of caregivers. Journal of Social Work in Health Care, 49 (2), USA.Google Scholar
Shin, S. H. (2005). Need for and actual use of mental health service by adolescents in the child welfare system. Children and Youth Services Review, 27, 10711083.Google Scholar
Stanley, N., Riordan, D., & Alaszewski, H. (2005). The mental health of looked after children: Matching response to need. Health and Social Care in the Community, 13 (3), 239248.Google Scholar
Stroul, B., & Friedman, R. (1986). A system of care for severely emotionally disturbed children and youth. Washington, DC: CASSP Technical Assistance Center.Google Scholar
Tarren-Sweeney, M. (2010). Concordance of mental health impairment and service utilisation among children in care. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 15, 481495.Google Scholar
Tarren-Sweeney, M., & Vetere, A. (Eds.) (2013). Mental health services for vulnerable children and young people. Routledge Advances in Health and Social Policy.Google Scholar
Taussig, H. N. (2002). Risk behaviors in maltreated youth placed in foster care: A longitudinal study of protective and vulnerability factors. Child Abuse and Neglect, 26, 11791199.Google Scholar
Timmer, S. G., Urquiza, A. J., & Zebell, N. (2006). Challenging foster caregiver-maltreated child relationships: The effectiveness of parent-child interaction therapy. Children and Youth Services Review, 28, 119.Google Scholar
Troutman, B. (2011). The effects of foster care placement on young children's mental health: Risks and opportunities. Iowa, USA: Carver College of Medicine.Google Scholar
White, S. (2006). The mental health needs of looked after children. In Dunnett, K., White, S., Butterfield, J. & Callowhill, I. (Eds.), Health of looked after children and young people. Dorset, UK: Russell House Publishing.Google Scholar
Winokur, M., Holtan, A., & Valentine, D. (2009). Kinship care for the safety, permanency and wellbeing of children removed from the home for maltreatment. The Cochrane Library, 3, 1.Google Scholar