Identifying and Responding to the Mental Health Service Needs of Children Who Have Experienced Violence: A Community-Based Approach

Abstract

Children's exposure to violence, their psychological response to the violence, and their participation in a community-based intervention service were described. This article describes the provision of mental health services and the process evaluation for the initial phase of the program (1999-2000). A large number (N = 1739) children were referred to the program over a 17.5-month period for mental health intervention immediately after witnessing and experiencing a range of violent acts, the majority of which (N = 1355) involved domestic violence. A majority of referred children and adolescents (N = 946) directly witnessed such violence, and the majority of those who were old enough to provide self-report indicated that they perceived the event as a direct threat to their safety. Many of these children and adolescents also reported high levels of trauma symptoms. The majority of

Children Exposed to the Arrest of a Family Member: Associations with Mental Health

“…More specifically, many police departments do not have a protocol for dealing with children who are present at the time of an arrest (Neville, 2009). Police officers could be trained to minimize the exposure the child has to the event or have a mental health professional accompany or follow-up with the child to ensure they receive the supports and services they need, similar to the integrated community response model found in domestic violence research (Baker, Cunningham, & Jaffe, 2004; Drotar et al, 2003). Model programs that have implemented said policies and procedures include REACT: Supporting Children when a Caregiver is Arrested, underway at the Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut (C. Bory, personal communication, March 22, 2012), the Child Development-Community Policing Program (CDCP) in New Haven, Connecticut (Marans et al, 1995; Marans & Berkman, 2006), the Police Action Counseling Team (PACT) in Riverside County, California, and the Families Matter Nonprofit Agency in Little Rock, Arkansas (Nolan, 2003).…”

Prevalence and mental health correlates of witnessed parental and community violence in a national sample of adolescents

“…They also strengthen the argument for integrating mental health interventions with other types of service provision that are likely to be activated during severe incidents of witnessed violence, such as law enforcement and medical services. Thus far, models involving police–mental health partnership and multisystemic therapy (intervention in multiple systems in which the child is embedded) have shown promise in improving access to care and reducing mental health problems among children exposed to violence (Drotar et al, 2003; Henggeler, Schoenwald, Borduin, Rowland, and Cunningham, 1998).…”

Acute Service Delivery in a Police-Mental Health Program for Children Exposed to Violence and Trauma

“…In one exception, the utility of police and mental health collaboration on behalf of children received qualified support from a programmatic evaluation of a collaborative intervention involving clinical providers and police detectives in one urban European police department (28). In another, the utility of a police-mental health partnership for delivering acute and follow up clinical interventions to children and their families who were exposed to domestic and family violence received support as a method of improving access to care among affected children (29).…”