4/16

Question 1

mental health needs

Answer 1

~50% of children in foster care that have mental needs; less than 25% of these children actually receive specialty mental health services; services are believed to only sufficiently address needs 25% of the time; lack of access to, & poor quality of, services

Question 2

barriers to accessing treatment

Answer 2

• lack of knowledge among foster care parents & workers regarding mental health needs
• lack of coordination between child welfare staff& mental health providers
• failure of standard screening procedures for identifying children in need
• instability in placements
• scarcity of providers

Question 3

barriers to accessing effective treatment

Answer 3

• less research support for evidence-based treatments for youth in foster care
• lack of training of community providers in evidence-based treatments
• given challenges of committing to therapy, some over-reliance on medication

Question 4

overprescribed

Answer 4

getting too much treatment; more than what’s acceptable & necessary

Question 5

___% of foster children on at least one medication

Answer 5

37%, w/ 21% taking 2 or more at any given time

Question 6

estimated that foster children receive psychiatric medication ___than children in the general population

Answer 6

up to 13 times more often

Question 7

concerns about over-prescription

Answer 7

• use of medication w/out concurrent therapy does not provide skills for coping long-term
• many side effects (e.g., weight gain)
• combo of drugs
• “off-label usage”–not FDA approved

Question 8

potential causes of over-prescription

Answer 8

• lack of appropriate state/policy oversight
• shortages of trained clinicians & social workers
• lack continuity in care across providers & across placements
• lack of knowledge among caregivers &case managers about medication