Using technology in service delivery to families, children and young people

This paper provides an overview of how the innovative use of technology can add value to service delivery in organisations working with families, children and young people.Key messages:Most Australians have access to the Internet and use mobile devices to connect from anywhere, at any time. Research suggests that even isolated and marginalised groups are using technology in their everyday lives.For some groups (e.g., young people), technology may be their preferred method of communication.There appears to be a difference between how people are using the Internet (regularly, from anywhere, connecting with social networks, investigating services) and how some organisations are engaging with it (infrequently, in one direction).Technology works best when used to augment or improve existing services for clients, or to offer innovative approaches to existing services.Technology can be used in diverse ways for organisational improvement (e.g., remote access, staff training, professional development) or client services (e.g., online counselling, SMS appointment reminders, access to resources).Using technology does not necessarily involve large monetary investments or reinventing the wheel in terms of policy and procedures. Often it is a matter of adapting and refining existing services and policies to better suit the online world.Incorporating technology into services takes time, and will need continued assessment and refinement to be successful

Effective Approaches With Young Adults: A Guide for Probation Services

The aim of this guide is to give probation practitioners, whether in the National Probation Service or Community Rehabilitation Companies, the tools to deliver a more effective approach to young adults. It provides practical suggestions for effective ways to engage young adults and support their desistance from crime. It also includes suggestions for managers on what they can do to enable practitioners to improve outcomes within probation services

Depression Screening of Young Adult Freshmen Students

Depression is a mental health issue that requires prompt identification and treatment. According to the CDC, it is estimated that in the U.S .one in 10 adults suffer from depression (CDC, 2011) with 4.7% of young adults, 18-39 years, suffer from depression (CDC, 2006). Many young adults report that college life is often more stressful than anticipated and the demands placed not only academically, but also socially, adversely affect their psychological and physical health (Dyson & Renk, 2006). The purpose of this EBP project was to answer the PICOT question: How does a depression screening tool in combination with a treatment and referral protocol, implemented at a university student health center (SHC), influence health care provider behavior? The Stetler Model (Stetler, 2001) guided the EBP project and the Kotter and Cohen’s (2002) eight steps for successful change provided the behavioral change theory. The project population consisted of fulltime freshmen college students enrolled at a Midwestern university during the 2012 fall semester. The intervention consisted of the administration of the Patient Health Questionnaire Two (PHQ-2) depression screening tool and implementation of a referral and depression treatment protocol. During the 12-week project, there were 225 freshmen clients seen in the SHC. A total of 213 (95%) were administered the PHQ-2 and 144 were given mental health pamphlets. This indicates a 64% adherence rate to the EBP protocol. A paired samples t-test was calculated to compare the initial PHQ-2 (m=4.5, SD=1.62) score to the follow-up PHQ-score (m=1.5, SD=1.38) for those clients (n=12) who returned for their follow-up at the SHC. A significant decrease from initial PHQ-2 to follow-up was found (t (11) =8.617, p\u3c.001). The implementation of a routine depression screening tool and treatment protocol demonstrated to be more effective than having no protocol. Recommendations for the future include continued implementation and further research with regards to depression treatment/referral for the college population

Depression Screening of Young Adult Freshmen Students

Depression is a mental health issue that requires prompt identification and treatment. According to the CDC, it is estimated that in the U.S .one in 10 adults suffer from depression (CDC, 2011) with 4.7% of young adults, 18-39 years, suffer from depression (CDC, 2006). Many young adults report that college life is often more stressful than anticipated and the demands placed not only academically, but also socially, adversely affect their psychological and physical health (Dyson & Renk, 2006). The purpose of this EBP project was to answer the PICOT question: How does a depression screening tool in combination with a treatment and referral protocol, implemented at a university student health center (SHC), influence health care provider behavior? The Stetler Model (Stetler, 2001) guided the EBP project and the Kotter and Cohen’s (2002) eight steps for successful change provided the behavioral change theory. The project population consisted of fulltime freshmen college students enrolled at a Midwestern university during the 2012 fall semester. The intervention consisted of the administration of the Patient Health Questionnaire Two (PHQ-2) depression screening tool and implementation of a referral and depression treatment protocol. During the 12-week project, there were 225 freshmen clients seen in the SHC. A total of 213 (95%) were administered the PHQ-2 and 144 were given mental health pamphlets. This indicates a 64% adherence rate to the EBP protocol. A paired samples t-test was calculated to compare the initial PHQ-2 (m=4.5, SD=1.62) score to the follow-up PHQ-score (m=1.5, SD=1.38) for those clients (n=12) who returned for their follow-up at the SHC. A significant decrease from initial PHQ-2 to follow-up was found (t (11) =8.617, p\u3c.001). The implementation of a routine depression screening tool and treatment protocol demonstrated to be more effective than having no protocol. Recommendations for the future include continued implementation and further research with regards to depression treatment/referral for the college population

Progress and opportunities in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender health communications

This article describes elements of effective health communication and highlights strategies that may best be adopted or adapted in relation to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations. Studies have documented the utility of multidimensional approaches to health communication from the macro level of interventions targeting entire populations to the micro level of communication between health care provider and consumer. Although evidence of health disparities in LGBT communities underscores the importance of population-specific interventions, health promotion campaigns rarely target these populations and health communication activities seldom account for the diversity of LGBT communities. Advances in health communication suggest promising direction for LGBT-specific risk prevention and health promotion strategies on community, group, and provider/consumer levels. Opportunities for future health communication efforts include involving LGBT communities in the development of appropriate health communication campaigns and materials, enhancing media literacy among LGBT individuals, supporting LGBT-focused research and evaluation of health communication activities, and ensuring that health care providers possess the knowledge, skills, and competency to communicate effectively with LGBT consumers

It Takes a Village: Perspectives from a Multidisciplinary Team to Address the Needs of Students in School-Based Mental Health Programs

Currently, 22% of American children are found to have a diagnosable mental illness that critically affects their social or emotional development. Of those diagnosed, only 7.4% receive treatment services (Child Mind Institute, 2015). In 2003, it was estimated that 43-56% of students with mental health needs dropped out of school (Landrum, Tankersley, & Kauffmen, 2003). This study was conducted with the goal of improving outcomes for children with mental health and significant behavior problems. This study examined the perspectives of a multidisciplinary team composed of individuals with a variety of specialties such as teachers, administrators, social workers, and therapists. Three themes emerged through analysis of the participant’s responses: a) the importance of behavior management to meet student’s needs, b) environmental management as an essential component of program design, and c) high frequency communication as a valuable tool for collaboration. The insight gained from these interviews was used to construct recommendations for teachers and administrators who are responsible for educating this challenging population