Pockets of Hope

Pockets of Hope
With these circumstances, it is un­derstandable that many who are involved in child welfare can end up feeling frus­trated and helpless. But there are pockets of hope—people and organizations that are brainstorming and implementing solutions that could ultimately serve as guideposts for communities across the country.
One organization that is trying to make a difference is A Home Within. Their mission is to support and enhance the emo­tional well-being of children in foster care by addressing the low numbers of available mental health providers. Their innovative Children’s Psychotherapy Project (CPP) offers long-term individual psychotherapy with experienced clinicians to foster chil­dren and adolescents. With 10 chapters nationwide and one in Australia, directors are actively recruiting experienced therapists who are willing to volunteer their time. Therapists are asked to take one foster child into weekly psychotherapy for as long as that child needs treatment.
Another newer approach is therapeutic foster care, also called treatment foster care. An evidenced-based practice that was origi­nally started to help children and youth in the juvenile justice system, it has now grown to include those in foster care and is being introduced in a number of communities na­tionwide. This model actively includes foster parents in mental health treatment by having them provide the primary intervention in their homes. In order to do so, they receive mental health training, consultation and regular clinical support. Therapeutic foster care usually lasts six to twelve months and is often used as an alternative to residential treatment. “Many kids need to be in foster care that is actively supported by mental health providers,” says Marshall from the American Institutes for Research. “We need a lot more of this model out there.”
Solutions are also being developed and examined at a national level. In 1992, Con­gress passed legislation creating the Compre­hensive Mental Health Services Program for Children and Their Families. This program in turn funded 85 state and local commu­nities to build a “system of care” approach. This philosophy aims to help children and adolescents access individually-tailored men­tal health services near their homes through the close collaboration of local organizations and providers. Preliminary studies show this approach is more effective than traditional, uncoordinated mental health services.
Because children in foster care find themselves involved with several systems at once (families, foster care, mental health, school), this collaborative approach is ideal. In 1999, the Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health outlined three evidence-based interventions that reflect effective system of care principles for foster youth: therapeutic foster care, intensive case management and wrap-around services, and Multisystemic Therapy (MST), a home and community-based intervention that addresses conduct-related mental health needs by intervening in all systems that impact youth. Studies