The rapid expansion of community mental health programs calls for exploring the primary task, the nature of inputs and outputs, environmental conditions, and subsystem interactions as they affect a community mental health program. The differences between programs organized according to a medical practice model and a human services model are also…

Discusses establishment of a community program designed to provide intervention services, support and education for the dying, their families, and the community. Included is a brief history, the nature of the program, problems related to community acceptance, and the current status and future of the program. (Author/JAC)

All states have systems for mental health, public health, substance abuse, and child and adult welfare that have been in existence for many years. Treating clients across these areas is often prevented by the fact that each agency acts independently. As a result of the compartmentalization of community services, many clients fail to get the help…

The report describes the design of a community development model for child abuse and neglect which used resources already existing in a rural area. The first section presents basic generalizations about rural areas, services, and rural human services professionals. Section II presents working papers, definitions, and concepts used in the project.…

The Coimbra Early Intervention Project was undertaken in Portugal to develop the first coordinated, multidisciplinary, interagency program involving health care, education, and social service, using existing resources in the community. The program now operates regionwide and supports more than 100 families and children with disabilities or at…

This booklet has been prepared to aid communities that wish to start Voluntary Action Centers. It is a digest of experience to date. The 10 questions answered in the booklet are as follows: (1) What is a Voluntary Action Center?; (2) What does a Voluntary Action Center do?; (3) Who can start a Voluntary Action Center?; (4) What is the usual…

This handbook offers a set of practical ideas and their philosophical underpinnings, designed to assist community groups which desire to form interagency coordinating councils. A Local Interagency Coordinating Council (LICC) works to develop, coordinate, and provide a community-based, comprehensive system of services for young children with…

Basic information about respite care for individuals with disabilities and their families is presented in a question-and-answer format. The following questions are addressed: "What is respite?"; "Who needs respite services?"; "Who provides respite services?"; "What kinds of services are provided?"; "How…

A profile is provided of the 40 Local Interagency Coordinating Councils (LICCs) in Kansas, which work to develop and coordinate services to infants and toddlers with special needs and their families, as established by Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The profile is intended to describe the status of Kansas LICCs, to…

Providing comprehensive services for the elderly in local communities presents planners and potential users with a complex set of problems. The development of new or expanded service to the elderly was examined within an ecologically informed resource dependency model to assess the effect on service expansion of organizational maintenance factors…

This publication describes a program of policy research sponsored by the Office of Youth Development, U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare. The purpose is to determine how the federal government can best support state and local community efforts in administering coordinated programs for youth development and delinquency prevention. A…

Evaluation research, if appropriately matched to a human service program's stage of development, can help inform the decision making at each step. The developmental stages of a program, questions to be answered at each stage, and kinds of research activities pertinent to such questions are discussed. (TJH)

This report provides an overview of neighborhood-based family-support programs and describes the development of the family-support movement. It includes sections on the definition of neighborhood-based family-support programs, the principles and theories on which they are based, a discussion of the problems they are designed to address, a…

This manual provides information to assist individuals in working together more effectively to provide comprehensive services and improve outcomes for children with special health care needs. The manual emphasizes the need for a union of services that places the child and family at the center and exists to provide educational, medical/health, and…