In Calgary, Alberta, Canada, cooperation between families, agencies and health care providers has resulted in services that improve the health and quality of life for individuals with Down syndrome. One of these is the multidisciplinary Down syndrome team at the Alberta Children's Hospital, which provides assessment, treatment and support based on…

This paper highlights the main issues that are present in the field of child and adolescent mental health services with regard to strategic development. It identifies the major themes that have emerged concerning the commissioning and delivery of services, and also highlights the difficulties faced by particular groups of children. The authors…

The challenge of tackling the problem of coping with work related stress in a National Health Service (NHS) Trust was undertaken. Ideas were developed within the context of two different action learning sets and led to actions resulting in a large therapy Taster Session event and the establishment of a centre offering alternative therapies and…

Purpose: While state policy and market factors are known to have contributed to the increased supply of residential care, little is known about efforts to accommodate demand from lower-income consumers. This study describes participation and expenditure trends for residential care services funded by Medicaid waivers and examines variation across…

In an effort to address the problem behaviors of children and youth, professionals have advocated for the implementation of three-tiered prevention programs: primary, secondary, and tertiary. The wraparound approach has been advanced as an appropriate tertiary program that can be used to address the complex behaviors and needs of students and…

In the past five years, there has been a surge in the attention shown to community and community-based health programs among Native Americans, particularly for chronic health problems such as diabetes. Community participation in health programming--from the efforts of community health workers (CHWs), to participatory research, to the impact of…

Community psychologists have a long-standing interest in promoting systems change to improve the lives of individuals and communities. To more fully illuminate a multilevel model of those factors involved in the promotion of systems change, the current study examined individual- and organizational-level characteristics related to health care…

The policy agenda of the UK government has repositioned the voluntary sector as a key player in the delivery of locally responsive, "bottom up" services to address the complex problems of social exclusion, reaching out to sectors of the community which are beyond the grasp of traditional state or market providers. This has drawn many…

This study investigated the relationship between psychological distress and attitudes toward seeking professional help and whether the relationship was moderated by gender and student status (traditional vs. non-traditional) among Chinese college students in Taiwan. 961 first-year university students completed standardised measures of depression,…

Objective: Organizational learning, underpinned by evidence-based health care, and greater user involvement in planning and delivery were key objectives of the NHS Plan. Evaluation, and specifically participatory evaluation, offers the potential to address these elements of the NHS modernization agenda. We discuss the strengths and limitations of…

Children in child welfare are especially likely to have unmet mental health needs. The role of family factors in children's use of mental health services was examined in a longitudinal sample of 1,075 maltreated or at-risk children. Vulnerable family environment (poor family functioning, low social support, and caregiver psychological distress) is…

This quarterly newsletter issue, in English and French language editions, examines changing perspectives on family and community health, with a specific focus on activities, trends, and research dealing with Canada. Five feature articles include: (1) "New Rules: The Canadian Health Care System in Flux" (Lawrence J. Nestman), which…

This annotated bibliography focuses on principles of culturally competent systems of care for children and youth with serious emotional disabilities and their families. A primary concern is the application and comprehension of a cultural competence model developed by the Child and Adolescent Service System Program (CASSP). The CASSP model requires…

This newsletter addresses managing the spread of communicable diseases in childhood settings as well as educational program concerns for children who are HIV infected. Noting that communicable diseases are a source of concern no matter how minor they might appear, the newsletter suggests that it is important for individuals who work with the…

This curriculum offers lesson plans for 5 hours of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) education instruction for high school and young adult students of English-as-a-Second Language (ESL). It helps students develop English language skills while it helps them understand the AIDS risk factors. The curriculum is designed to help cope with the…