Inter-Agency Collaboration in Child Welfare and Child Mental Health Systems

While most children living in foster care experience emotional disturbance as a result of their maltreatment or out-of-home placement, most do not receive needed mental health assistance that can prevent a variety of negative outcomes. Child welfare services related to placement prevention, treatment foster care, and group care provide unique opportunities for promoting inter-agency collaboration with mental health services. In order to address more effectively the needs of families utilizing both service systems, this analysis focuses on the factors that enhance or impede child welfare and child mental health collaboration and strategies for enriching the relationship.