The Coordination Status of the Children\u27s Mental Health Services in Minnesota

The purpose of the present study is to describe what services children with severe emotional disturbance (SED) have received before acute care hospitalization. According to the Minnesota children\u27s Mental Health Act of 1989, children should be receiving a comprehensive set of services. This means that the children\u27s mental health system is to be integrated and coordinated with all child-serving systems at the state, local and individual levels . This study examines the following three research questions: a) Is coordination of services being provided across disciplines?, b) Are children receiving case-management services?, and c) Are children receiving services in the least restrictive setting first before moving to more restrictive environments?. Twenty (20) adolescents were interviewed on a psychiatric unit of an acute care hospital. The findings indicate that all services are being provided as described in the research questions and are in accordance with the 1989 Children\u27s Mental Health Act