Linking low-income families to children’s mental health services: An outcome study

An intervention designed to address barriers that interfere with access to children's mental health services for low-income families was implemented in three Oregon counties; four other counties were included. as a comparison condition. The intervention involved the use of paraprofessionals called Family Associates who provided families with information, emotional support, and tangible assistance to reduce barriers to services. Families in the intervention group (n = 96) were, significantly more likely to initiate children's mental health services than were those in the comparison group (n = 143); however, the groups did not differ in their rates of appointment attendance or discontinuing services prematurely. A modest but significant difference between the groups was found for family and service system empowerment, with the intervention families reporting higher levels of empowerment at posttest. The barriers to children's mental health services experienced by the intervention families and the barriers for which Family Associate services were provided are described. Although significant progress has been made in developing mental health services for children with emotional disabilities, these improvements become pointless when children and their families cannot gain access to such services. Families may be discouraged from accessing services for a variety of reasons, including service system complexities related to referrals and admission criteria, pragmatic constraints in such areas as transportation and child care, and limitations in knowledge about how best to use available resources. A less appreciate