BETWEEN MENTAL HEALTH CARE AND RESIDENTIAL CARE FOR

The total of minors placed in substitute care in Finland in 2013 was 18 022. Many of these children exhibit behavioral and mental health problems. It is often required from child welfare to collaborate with mental health services to ensure that all the needs of minors in residential care are met. Due to this need it is important to examine the existing practices and policies in the communication between these different organizations, consider new policies and advance the cooperation between these organizations. The focus group content analysis of this thesis has been produced for RESME- project. The international project is funded by the European Union in order to develop European residential care occupational know-how among child welfare and mental health employees. The focus group content analysis has been done by analyzing two mixed focus group interviews. The interviewees represent both mental health professionals and employees in residential care. The purpose of the interviews was to find already existing and functional practices in communication between child welfare and mental health services and identify the possible flaws. The results show evidence of a variety of problems and functional practices in both the communication between the organizations and in the internal operating models