Task force Report on Innovative Models of Mental Health Services for Children, Adolescents, and their Families

Task Force members were selected for their widely respected research and clinical expertise pertaining to a particular child service system -- mental health, education, juvenile justice, social welfare, and primary care -- or for their longstanding leadership in the reform of mental health services for children. These carefully chosen professionals set out to accomplish three goals:

* to examine the state of mental health services for children and adolescents across the major child service systems,

* to identify effective or promising models of treatment and service delivery to better meet the mental health needs of youth, and

* to denote key barriers to the dissemination of such treatment and service delivery models.

Divided into three sections, this report catalogs their findings. The first paper summarizes and synthesizes the key systems-level and clinical-level changes advocated within the report. The next set of articles examines innovative approaches to mental health treatment and service delivery within the major child service systems, with conclusions based on empirical research and the informed guidance of experts. The final set identifies major barriers to the dissemination of innovative models and recommends strategies for overcoming these barriers. In its entirety, the report is intended to serve as a state-of-the-art document setting forth the principles upon which the reform of children's mental health services should be based.