News from the Field Related to Wraparound
The Latest on Teen Brain Development and Mental Health
May 9, 2021
Many mental health conditions first appear in adolescence. Scientists believe that a driving factor of this change is the growth rate of myelin. Myelin is a fatty substance that insulates the connections between cells and leads to better transmission of information. New research suggests that myelin in the prefrontal cortex grows more slowly in adolescents who are struggling more with their mental health.
Resources for Talking to Students About Racism and Police Killings
May 9, 2021
To help educators think about how to discuss cases of racism, race-related violence, and police brutality and how to support Black students and other students of color who may be distraught by what they read and see in the media, Education Week has compiled some resources from its archives and elsewhere.
Policy Options Could Cut Child Poverty in Half
May 9, 2021
A 2019 report requested by Congress and released by the National Academies called ‘A Roadmap to Reducing Child Poverty’ outlines the scope of child poverty and presents four packages of policy and program changes, two of which can reduce child poverty and deep poverty by half within 10 years.
Tele-Health Can Promote Equity in Children’s Behavioral Health
May 9, 2021
Advancing Equity in Behavioral Health Through Telemedicine, a policy brief jointly authored by staff from CHDI, the Village for Families and Children, Connecticut Children’s, and Yale New Haven Health Center/Yale Medicine, includes four recommendations to support the long-term effectiveness of telemedicine services for children and families.
Train the Trainer Approach Appears Effective in a Community Mental Health Context
April 18, 2021
This issue brief from the Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut discusses how a train-the-trainer approach for disseminating evidence-based treatments (EBTs) has promise for improving access to EBTs, building local expertise and capacity for more flexible training, and reducing dissemination costs.
Resource: Strategies to Promote Effective Virtual and Phone Engagement With Children, Youth, Families and Caregivers
April 18, 2021
This publication from the Children’s Bureau discusses ways that professionals outside of child protective services can act to support children and their caregivers and connect them with appropriate resources that may mitigate any risks for harm during crisis situations.
Study Finds Psychiatric Disorders Persist 15 Years After Youth Are Detained
April 18, 2021
A new study shows that youth arrested as juveniles with psychiatric disorders that remain untreated continue to struggle with mental health and successful outcomes well beyond adolescence. The research shows nearly two-thirds of males and more than one-third of females with one or more existing psychiatric disorders when they entered detention still had a disorder 15 years later.
Virtual Treatment Has Been Successful for Youth and Young Adults During the Pandemic
April 18, 2021
Virtual therapy improved engagement, mitigated symptoms and reduced repeated hospitalizations, according to a joint study by the Tulane University School of Medicine and the Tulane School of Social Work. Telehealth also enabled clinicians to learn more about patients, meet family members, get to know patients’ physical environments and observe patients’ moods in their home settings.
Race-Blind Decision Making Could Reduce Disparities in the Child Welfare System
April 18, 2021
This article discusses results of an experiment by the Office of Child and Family Services in Nassau County, New York, to institute race-blind decision-making about removing children from their homes to reduce the overrepresentation of Black children in foster care.
Outdoor Activities Improve Well-being
March 15, 2021
A study from North Carolina State University found outdoor play and nature-based activities helped buffer some of the negative mental health impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic for adolescents.