Annual Report to Congress on the Evaluation of the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services Program for Children and Their Families

Service Features and Child Outcomes

Evidence of the effectiveness of systems of care in the CMHS children’s services program comes in part from site-level evaluations. The maturity of several systems has allowed the linking of data on specific service information to outcomes. The results of these analyses reflect outcomes at sites with specific system-of-care programs and may not be applicable to the program as a whole. Results from selected sites regarding the relationship between service features and child outcomes reveal:

Children Who Received Continuous Care Displayed More Positive Behavioral Changes

Children who received continuous care displayed more positive behavioral changes than children receiving discontinuous care after 6 months in services (East Baltimore Mental Health Partnership, Baltimore, Maryland) (see Figure ES-6).

Children Who Received Intensive In-Home Services Showed Greater Reductions in Functional Impairment

Children who received intensive in-home services showed greater reductions in functional impairment after 6 months in services than children who did not receive these services (Stark County Family Council, Stark County, Ohio) (see Figure ES-7).

Children with No Service Breaks Displayed More Positive Outcomes

Children with no service breaks displayed more positive outcomes at 1 year than children with multiple service breaks (Access Vermont, Vermont) (see Figure ES-8).

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