Series examines how mental health treatment crisis led to children services placement crisis

A three-part series from Public News Service airs this week focusing on the need for more upstream mental health services for children to prevent those with complex multi-system needs from coming into children services custody.

Part one reports on PCSAO’s placement crisis report published in February documenting the lack of adequate, appropriate, affordable placement options for youth who come into care primarily due to their behavioral health, developmental/intellectual disability or juvenile justice involvement — and not primarily due to abuse or neglect.

Part two identifies the need for a well-trained and supported mental health workforce to deliver key services that prevent children from coming into foster care.

And part three looks at the crisis from the hospital perspective, where children and families experience long waits in the emergency room due to the lack of psychiatric beds, and how Virginia dramatically reduced its population of children without placement when Gov. Glenn Youngkin created a task force that coordinated the efforts of multiple government and private-sector stakeholders.

Listen to the three-part series:

• Part 1: Kids’ Mental-Health Challenges Straining OH Children’s Services
• Part 2: Mental-Health Workforce Key to Boosting Ohio Families’ Resiliency
• Part 3: Community Support Critical for Keeping Kids Out of Foster Care