Allen county children's mental health initiative - the mental health & recovery services board (mhrsb) of allen, auglaize & hardin counties, a governmental entity formed by the state of ohio, proposes…

Allen county children's mental health initiative - the mental health & recovery services board (mhrsb) of allen, auglaize & hardin counties, a governmental entity formed by the state of ohio, proposes to partner with coleman health services (CHS) and other behavioral health providers and community organizations within the allen county system of care to improve outcomes for 600 children, youth and young adults, ages 0-21, who experience or are at risk for serious emotional disorders (SED). The target population are at-risk youth and their families in allen county, ohio, many of whom will live in the city of lima, a small rustbelt city with "big city" problems, including poverty, stressed single-parent families, concentration of racial minorities, and high crime rates, as well as a pervasively high level of violence experienced by youth. Allen county has suffered high rates of early morbidity and ranks #60 of 88 ohio counties on physical and mental health measures. In recent years the resulting trauma and poor mental health have become behaviorally expressed through child-to-parent "domestic violence." parents or caregivers in this conservative sociopolitical culture, have traditionally turned to law enforcement at crisis points to DE-escalate family conflict and mitigate their child's "bad" behavior. In response to rising numbers of children as young as age 7 being arrested, detained and charged with domestic violence, the allen county common pleas court, juvenile division, has developed a diversionary program. At the heart of the program is an access center where youth, referred by police, schools, community organizations, and directly by parents, are screened for SED and adverse childhood experiences that put them at risk for SED. Many of these youth are referred to community-based services and resources. While parents participate in the assessments, few elect to receive services themselves, and most do not recognize the role of the family system in the youth's behavioral problems. Services for youth in the community frequently have waiting lists, and many youth do not receive the recommended treatment or service coordination. The allen county cmhi project will provide culturally appropriate family advocacy and engagement activities, as well as connect families to 24/7/365 mobile crisis services. The project will also increase the capacity of the community to provide more rapid access to youth- and family-focused evidence-based mental health care and service coordination, as well as connection to services for parents with unmet behavioral health needs. Goals include improving family stabilization, while reducing the overreliance on law enforcement and the juvenile justice detention system. The program will seek to improve mental health and life outcomes for children and youth, help youth and families heal from trauma, and develop stronger pathways to successfully transition youth to adult services, roles and responsibilities. IT also aims to change the culture from one of punishment that can itself be traumatizing, to one that recognizes that "bad" behaviors are often symptoms of a treatable mental health condition. The allen county family and children first council will serve as the governing organization for this system-of-care program.