Children in foster care are heavy users of health services for medical conditions, but disorders of development and mental health far surpass medical disorders.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, Child Welfare League of America, and American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry recommend coordinated, comprehensive health care that includes mental health assessment and treatment, and that begins within 24 hours of the child’s removal from the home. [refs]
They also recommend that ongoing care be provided by health practitioners knowledgeable about foster care health, with clinical support appropriate to the needs of this population.
The Community Partnership for Foster Care Health is an interdisciplinary task force with the mission of creating a model of health care for children in foster care in Minnesota, emphasizing their emotional, physical and educational well-being. The guiding force in the development of this model will be the experience of children in out-of-home care and the families that care for them, including birth, foster and adoptive families.
PARTICIPANTS: The partnership includes community members working within the Minnesota Department of Health, the Minnesota Department of Human Services, the Minneapolis public schools, the Centers of Excellence in Children’s Mental Health, Hennepin County Children’s Services, the University of Minnesota Schools of Public Health and Nursing, the UMN Division of General Pediatrics, and St. Joseph’s Home for Children, as well as community members experienced in working with children’s services as parents and trainers.
Goals:
Delivery of excellent health and mental health care to children in out-of-home placement.
- Create an actionable model for foster care health delivery and community collaboration that includes mental health prevention services as well as treatment.
- Create an action plan and timeline.
Disseminate knowledge about best practices in foster care health.
- Create an ongoing university-commuity collaborative committee to address health care quality and delivery for children in foster care throughout Minnesota.
- Create a website for communication with the community, facilitating dissemination of information and community input.
- Offer clinical care sites as training sites for health providers (pediatrics, family practice, nursing, mental health, public health, etc.), social workers, and juvenile justice workers.
Secure funding to provide appropriate care.
The Community Partnership for Foster Care Health is funded by a grant from the University of Minnesota Office of Public Engagement.
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