Complexity, conflict and uncertainty: Issues in collaboration between child protection and mental health services

This paper provides an analysis of data from a state-wide survey of statutory child protection workers, adult mental health workers, and child mental health workers. Respondents provided details of their experience of collaboration on cases where a parent had mental health problems and there were serious child protection concerns. The survey was conducted as part of a large mixed-method research project on developing best practice at the intersection of child protection and mental health services. Descriptions of 300 cases were provided by 122 respondents. Analyses revealed that a great deal of collaboration occur-red across a wide range of government and community-based agencies; that collaborative processes were often positive and rewarding for workers; and that collaboration was most difficult when the nature of the parental mental illness or the need for child protection intervention was contested. The difficulties experienced included communication, role clarity, competing primary focus, contested parental mental health needs, contested child protection needs, and resources. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Interagency collaboration between child protection and mental health services: Practices, attitudes and barriers

Objective: The aim of this paper is to examine some of the factors that facilitate and hinder interagency collaboration between child protection services and mental health services in cases where there is a parent with a mental illness and there are protection concerns for the child(ren). The paper reports on agency practices, worker attitudes and experiences, and barriers to effective collaboration. Method: A self-administered, cross-sectional survey was developed and distributed via direct mail or via line supervisors to workers in statutory child protection services, adult mental health services, child and youth mental health services, and Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) Teams. There were 232 completed questionnaires returned, with an overall response rate of 21%. Thirty-eight percent of respondents were statutory child protection workers. 39% were adult mental health workers, 16% were child and youth mental health workers, and 4% were SCAN Team medical officers (with 3% missing data). Results: Analysis revealed that workers were engaging in a moderate amount of interagency contact, but that they were unhappy with the support provided by their agency. Principle components analysis and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) on items assessing attitudes toward other workers identified four factors, which differed in rates of endorsement: inadequate training, positive regard for child protection workers, positive regard for mental health workers, and mutual mistrust (from highest to lowest level of endorsement). The same procedure identified the relative endorsement of five factors extracted from items about potential barriers: inadequate resources, confidentiality, gaps in interagency processes, unrealistic expectations, and professional knowledge domains and boundaries. Conclusions: Mental health and child protection professionals believe that collaborative practice is necessary; however, their efforts are hindered by a lack of supportive structures and practices at the organizational level. (c) 2005 Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Practice challenges at the intersection of child protection and mental health

This paper examines the complexity of collaboration between child protection and mental health services, where a parent has a mental illness and there are protection concerns for children. The paper reports on data from focused in-depth interviews with 36 child protection workers, adult mental health workers and child and youth mental health workers. Data were analysed thematically, using NVivo to facilitate data management and analysis. Two dimensions were identified. The first, the process of collaboration, relates to four factors that assisted the collaborative process: communication, knowledge, role clarity and resources. The second dimension considers the challenges presented to collaborative work when a parent has a mental illness and a child is in need of protection, and identifies issues that are inherent in cases of this kind. Two types of challenge were identified. The first related to characteristics of mental illness, and included the episodic and/or unpredictable nature of mental illness, incorporating information from psychiatric and parenting capacity assessments, and the provision of ongoing support. The second type of challenge concerned the tension between the conflicting needs of parents and their children, and how this was viewed from both the adult mental health and the child protection perspective. Implications for policy and practice are identified in relation to the need for service models that provide ongoing, flexible support that can be intensified or held back as needed.

Reflective analysis: Techniques for facilitating reflection

This paper describes a number of techniques for facilitating reflective critical analysis as a means of eliciting in-depth reflections on practice. The authors have previously used similar techniques in the research context, to assist practitioners to identify and analyse the basis of their work with clients. The techniques presented in this paper have been adapted for use in social work education, including in class-based and field education contexts, and to professional supervision.

Information systems design for the community health services

This system is concerned with the design and implementation of a community health information system which fulfils some of the local needs of fourteen nursing and para-medical professions in a district health authority, whilst satisfying the statutory requirements of the NHS Korner steering group for those professions. A national survey of community health computer applications, documented in the form of an applications register, shows the need for such a system. A series of general requirements for an informations systems design methodology are identified, together with specific requirements for this problem situation. A number of existing methodologies are reviewed, but none of these were appropriate for this application. Some existing approaches, tools and techniques are used to define a more suitable methodology. It is unreasonable to rely on one single general methodology for all types of application development. There is a need for pragmatism, adaptation and flexibility. In this research, participation in the development stages by those who will eventually use the system was thought desirable. This was achieved by forming a representative design group. Results would seem to show a highly favourable response from users to this participation which contributed to the overall success of the system implemented. A prototype was developed for the chiropody and school nursing staff groups of Darlington health authority, and evaluations show that a significant number of the problems and objectives of those groups have been successfully addressed; the value of community health information has been increased; and information has been successfully fed back to staff and better utilised.

Annual accountability report with Baldrige criteria fiscal year 2005-06

Each year Florence-Darlington Technical College produces an annual accountability report for the South Carolina General Assembly. Included is a mission statement, program description, program goals, major achievements from the past year, goals for the present and future years and criteria associated with the Malcolm Baldridge Award..

Annual accountability report with Baldrige criteria fiscal year 2006-07

Each year Florence-Darlington Technical College produces an annual accountability report for the South Carolina General Assembly. Included is a mission statement, program description, program goals, major achievements from the past year, goals for the present and future years and criteria associated with the Malcolm Baldridge Award..

Annual accountability report with Baldrige criteria fiscal year 2007-08

Each year Florence-Darlington Technical College produces an annual accountability report for the South Carolina General Assembly. Included is a mission statement, program description, program goals, major achievements from the past year, goals for the present and future years and criteria associated with the Malcolm Baldridge Award..

Annual accountability report with Baldrige criteria fiscal year 2008-09

Each year Florence-Darlington Technical College produces an annual accountability report for the South Carolina General Assembly. Included is a mission statement, program description, program goals, major achievements from the past year, goals for the present and future years and criteria associated with the Malcolm Baldridge Award.

Annual accountability report with Baldrige criteria fiscal year 2009-10

Each year Florence-Darlington Technical College produces an annual accountability report for the South Carolina General Assembly. Included is a mission statement, program description, program goals, major achievements from the past year, goals for the present and future years and criteria associated with the Malcolm Baldridge Award..

Annual accountability report with Baldrige criteria fiscal year 2011-12

Each year Florence-Darlington Technical College produces an annual accountability report for the South Carolina General Assembly. Included is a mission statement, program description, program goals, major achievements from the past year, goals for the present and future years and criteria associated with the Malcolm Baldridge Award..