The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of the Family Check-Up initiated during kindergarten on teacher-report of children's emotional and behavior concerns in fourth grade. Participants were 57 primary caregivers, along with their children and teachers. Participants were randomized to a Family Check-Up condition or school-as-usual…

This study reports results of a randomized, controlled trial examining the efficacy of the Family Check-Up (FCU) initiated during kindergarten on teacher report of children's emotional and behavior problems in first and second grade. Children's emotional and behavior needs and the receipt of special services in school at pretest were examined as…

The purpose of this study, the Family Experience Study, was to record experiences of families not captured by standard quantitative measures utilizing open-ended questions that allowed families to tell their stories in their own words. This qualitative study was conceived and carried out by family members who received wraparound services and…

Family involvement in the planning and execution of mental health treatment has been shown to positively influence child outcomes; however, there is wide variability in the levels of involvement by families. The current study investigated the influence of child, family caregiver, service system, and community factors on the level of family…

Service coordination from the perspective of 226 caregivers whose children have serious emotional disabilities was examined. Although complexity of services was not related to service coordination, severity of the children's problems was inversely related and family participation was positively related to service coordination. Service coordination…

First-graders (n=678) with behavior disorders received either a classroom-centered (CC) intervention designed to enhance teachers' behavior management or family-school partnerships intervention that targeted improvement in parent-teacher communication and parents' behavior management strategies. The CC intervention was more effective in reducing…

This paper introduces a special issue focusing on the National Agenda for Achieving Better Results for Children and Youth with Serious Emotional Disturbance. Traces the history of the development of the National Agenda, and lists the seven major strategic targets of the Agenda. (PB)

This review examines empirically based studies of school-based mental health interventions. The review identified 64 out of more than 2,000 articles published between 1990 and 2006 that met methodologically rigorous criteria for inclusion. Of these 64 articles, only 24 examined both mental health "and" educational outcomes. The majority of…

Reviews essential components for collaborating with families, the fourth target of the National Agenda for Achieving Better Results for Children and Youth with Serious Emotional Disturbance. Describes two programs that have successfully integrated families into all aspects of their work, and provides recommendations are for enhancing collaboration…

The Family Assessment Planning Team Observation Form was used to assess the family friendliness of the admissions treatment team process at an inpatient child and adolescent psychiatric hospital. The overall rating across 35 case presentations was moderately family friendly and showed marginally higher family friendliness than comparable services…

A 42-item structured observation instrument was devised to rate the family friendliness of the Family Assessment and Planning Team (FAPT) meetings in Virginia for children with emotional and behavioral disorders. Seventy-nine case presentations at 31 FAPT meetings were observed and overall rating of family friendliness was good (63%). (Author/CR)

This article describes the history of New York's efforts to create partnerships with families with children with emotional disturbances, articulates the stages of parent involvement in policymaking, and summarizes lessons learned and recommendations for effective and enduring families as policy allies. A case study is presented. (Contains…

Interviews were conducted with 60 human-services-agency staff of the Child and Adolescent Service System Program in California and 67 parents of children with serious emotional disturbance regarding changes over the previous four years in their local children's service systems. Results indicate increased interagency collaboration and family…

This introductory article analyzes the challenges facing researchers as they respond to the ideas that guide family-centered services and incorporate these themes into research focused on improving services for children with emotional, behavioral, or mental disorders. The fit between traditional mental health research and family centered services…

The Family-Centered Behavior Scale assessed perceptions of 443 parents/caregivers of special needs children [126 with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD)] of the importance and frequency of family-centered behaviors of professionals, primarily special education teachers, social workers, and physicians. Parents agreed on the most important…