Partnership Development Among Mental Health Organizations

Mental health organizations can play a key role in enhancing youths\u27 access to care by working together to bridge gaps in service delivery systems. This dissertation study examines partnerships among a network of children\u27s behavioral health organizations. The specific aims are to (1) describe and understand the network of partnerships among members of the Children\u27s Services Coalition, (2) assess the capacity of the system to provide coordinated service delivery, and (3) test how patterns of organizational characteristics influence conditions that facilitate and inhibit partnerships among the Children\u27s Service Coalition organizations. This dissertation is a predominantly quantitative cross-sectional network study of 36 children\u27s mental health organizations in St. Louis County that are members of the newly formed Children\u27s Services Coalition. Network data on relationships and archival data from IRS 990 forms were collected and used to explain how organizational characteristics might lead certain organizations to partner, but create conditions that simultaneously facilitate and hinder the degree to which organizations partner. Overall, the key findings describe partnership behavior at the network, small-group, and dyadic-level. First, children\u27s behavioral health organizations in the CSC maintain a complex set of partnerships, which are expected to grow as new opportunities emerge. Second, although partnerships are very common, the larger network may not be well coordinated as evidenced by the few systematic partnership patterns uncovered using descriptive network analysis techniques including sub-group analysis and blockmodeling. However there is potential for coordination at the sub-group level among small groups of similar organizations. Finally, at the dyadic-level, results of a path analysis demonstrate how similar competing organizations depend on one another for resources and benefit from their collaboration, which drives partnerships. Results suggest that organizational interests drive partnership development in this network, and bring together competing organizations that provide similar resources potentially as a strategy for managing competition, or creating efficiencies. This trend runs counter to system reform goals for bridging organizations with complementary services to facilitate access to quality care

Defining Service Coordination: A Social Work Perspective

To address fragmentation, social workers are encouraged to “coordinate.” This pilot study explores the meaning of, and factors that facilitate or prevent “coordination” and is intended as a first step toward future conceptual refinement, theory development, and system interventions. Using data from treatment guidelines archived by the National Guideline Clearinghouse (n=9) and semi-structured interviews with social workers (n=4), themes related to the definition, indicators, and perceptions of coordination were explored using a grounded theory approach. Data suggest the need for coordination is driven by complex client needs, but the quality of providers’ personal relationships influence coordination. Future research might examine the impact of standardization of roles, referral procedures, and treatment philosophies

Under What Conditions Does Caseworker-Caregiver Racial/Ethnic Similarity Matter for Housing Service Provision? An Application of Representative Bureaucracy Theory

In this article, we examine child welfare caseworkers’ housing-related service strategies when they serve culturally similar versus culturally dissimilar clients. Testing hypotheses drawn from representative bureaucracy theory and using data from the second cohort of the National Survey of Child and AdolescentWell-Being, we find that when non-Caucasian caseworkers share the same racial/ethnic background as caregivers, caseworkers use more active strategies to connect caregivers to needed housing services. The relationship between racial/ethnic matching and frontline workers’ repertoire of service strategies is most pronounced when the need for housing has been registered formally via referrals and case plans and thus legitimated institutionally. These results reinforce basic tenets of representative bureaucracy theory and provide evidence of the benefits of racial and ethnic diversity in the human service workforce. Our findings also highlight the need for research identifying institutional and frontline organizational factors that enhance the quality of service provision

Facilitating mental health service use for caregivers: Referral strategies among child welfare caseworkers

Unmet needs for mental health care are common among caregivers involved in the child welfare system. Although child welfare caseworkers are well positioned to identify service needs and refer caregivers to treatment, little is known about the types of referral strategies used in practice, or their effectiveness for promoting mental health service use. The current study examined child welfare caseworkers’ use of different referral strategies and the extent to which these strategies are associated with caregivers’ receipt of mental health services within a national sample of child welfare cases. Analyses of the second cohort of families from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being suggest that child welfare workers more often use informational strategies for referring caregivers, including suggesting treatment or providing information about treatment options. However, social referral strategies such as providing caregivers with direct assistance in completing applications and making and attending appointments were associated with a greater likelihood of caregivers receiving mental health services. Findings support evidence from other service contexts that service use is facilitated by caseworkers’ direct support for arranging services. Implications for research and for child welfare managers and administrators are discussed

Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to examine implementation determinants of specialty mental health probation

Background Specialty mental health probation (SMHP) is designed to improve outcomes for the large number of people with serious mental illnesses who are on probation and/or parole. The evidence for specialty mental health probation is promising; however, little is known about the implementation challenges and facilitators associated with SMHP. To address this gap, we used the consolidated framework for implementation research (CFIR) to analyze 26 interviews with stakeholders representing multiple agencies involved in the implementation of SMHP. Results Results indicate a number of challenges and facilitators related to the inner setting, outer setting, implementation process, and characteristics of individuals. Conclusions Findings suggest that complex and cross-sectoral interventions are context-dependent and introduce a number of challenges and facilitators related to multiple CFIR domains. Consequently, agency administrators implementing these types of interventions should consider small pilot studies and develop implementation strategies tailored to the local implementation context

Context matters: measuring implementation climate among individuals and groups

Abstract Background It has been noted that implementation climate is positively associated with implementation effectiveness. However, issues surrounding the measurement of implementation climate, or the extent to which organizational members perceive that innovation use is expected, supported and rewarded by their organization remain. Specifically, it is unclear whether implementation climate can be measured as a global construct, whether individual or group-referenced items should be used, and whether implementation climate can be assessed at the group or organizational level. Methods This research includes two cross-sectional studies with data collected via surveys at the individual level. The first study assessed the implementation climate perceptions of physicians participating in the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) Community Clinical Oncology Program (CCOP), and the second study assessed the perceptions of children’s behavioral health clinicians implementing a treatment innovation. To address if implementation climate is a global construct, we used confirmatory factor analysis. To address how implementation climate should be measured and at what level, we followed a five-step framework outlined by van Mierlo and colleagues. This framework includes exploratory factor analysis and correlations to assess differences between individual and group-referenced items and intraclass correlations, interrater agreements, and exploratory factor analysis to determine if implementation climate can be assessed at the organizational level. Results The confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that implementation climate is a global construct consisting of items related to expectations, support and rewards. There are mixed results, however, as to whether implementation climate should be measured using individual or group-referenced items. In our first study, where physicians were geographically dispersed and practice independently, there were no differences based on the type of items used, and implementation climate was an individual level construct. However, in the second study, in which clinicians practice in a central location and interact more frequently, group-referenced items may be appropriate. In addition, implementation climate could be considered an organizational level construct. Conclusions The results are context-specific. Researchers should carefully consider the study setting when measuring implementation climate. In addition, more opportunities are needed to validate this measure and understand how well it predicts and explains implementation effectiveness

Peran Lsm dalam Program Pendampingan Anak Jalanan Menuju Ketahanan Sosial Keluarga (Study Kasus Lsm Ppap Seroja di Kota Surakarta)

Bachtiar Rofi\u27i. “PERAN LSM DALAM PROGRAM PENDAMPINGAN ANAK JALANAN MENUJU KETAHANAN KELUARGA (Study Kasus LSM PPAP Seroja Di Kota Surakarta)”.Skripsi. Surakarta: Fakultas Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan. Universitas Sebelas Maret 2017. Siti Rochani dan Siany Indria Liestyasari. Penelitian betujuan untuk mengetahui: (1) untuk mengidentifikasi bentuk pendampingan LSM yang mengarah pada ketahanan sosial keluarga anak jalanan; (2) untuk mengetahui kendala LSM dalam penerapan pendampingan orangtua dan anak jalanan di Kota Surakarta; (3) Untuk mengetahui dampak dari pola pendampingan LSM terhadap orangtua dan anak jalanan di Kota Surakarta.Penelitian ini termasuk dalam jenis penelitian kualitatif dengan pendekatan study kasus.Pengumpulan data berasal dari wawancara, observasi, serta dokumentasi. Wawancara dilakukan dengan enam informan, yang terdiri dari dua pengurus LSM, dua orangtua anak jalanan, dua anak dampingan LSM diantaranya ada yang masih berprofesi sebagai anak jalanan, dan mantan anak jalanan. Penelitian ini mengunakan tekhnik pengambilan informan dengan cara purposive sampling. Dalam melakukan uji validitas data, yang dilakukan yaitu dengan trianggulasi sumber dan trianggulasi metode.Tekhnik analisis data menggunakan analisis interaktif yang terdiri dari pengumpulan data, reduksi data, penyajian data, dan penarikan data (verivikasi data).Hasil penelitian menunjukan: (1) Pendampingan LSM yang mengarah pada ketahanan sosial keluarga anak jalanan adalah (a) aspek pendidikan, (b) aspek ekonomi, (c) aspek kesehatan, (d) aspek agama, (e) aspek komunikasi, (f) aspek hukum; (2) Kendala LSM dalam penerapan pendampingan orangtua dan anak jalanan di Kota Surakarta adalah (a) kendala internal, (b) kendala eksternal (3) Dampak dari pola pendampingan LSM terhadap orangtua dan anak jalanan di Kota Surakarta mencangkup (a) aspek pendidikan, (b) aspek ekonomi, (c) aspek kesehatan, (d) aspek agama, (e) aspek komunikasi, (f) aspek hukum.Kesimpulan penelitian ini adalah bahwa meningkatkan ketahanan sosial keluarga anak jalanan dianggap solusi yang tepat untuk megurangi angka anak jalanan yang ada di Kota Suarakarta. Kata Kunci : Anak Jalanan, Ketahanan Sosial Keluarg

Advice-seeking during implementation: a network study of clinicians participating in a learning collaborative

Abstract Background Successful implementation depends on the transfer of knowledge and expertise among clinicians, which can occur when professionals seek advice from one another. This study examines advice-seeking patterns among mental health clinicians participating in learning collaboratives (a multi-component implementation and quality improvement strategy) to implement trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT). We apply transactive memory system theory, which explains how professionals access and retrieve knowledge, to examine factors associated with the evolution of advice-seeking relationships during implementation. Our aim is to unpack learning collaboratives’ mechanisms by investigating how and why advice-seeking networks change, which may help us understand how implementation strategies can best target networks. Methods Using social network analysis and a pretest-post-test design, we examined patterns in general and treatment-specific advice-seeking among 146 participants (including five clinical experts) from 27 agencies participating in a regional scale-up of TF-CBT. Surveys were administered in-person at the first and last of three in-person learning sessions (10 months apart) that comprise a core component of learning collaboratives. Participants nominated up to five individuals from whom they seek general and treatment-specific advice. Exponential random graph models (ERGMs) tested the likelihood of maintaining or forming advice-seeking relationships based on indicators of expertise quality, accessibility, need, and prior advice-seeking relationships. Results Participants formed or maintained advice-seeking relationships with those who possess perceived expertise (e.g., learning collaborative faculty experts, supervisors, and those with greater field experience than themselves). Participants also tended to seek advice from those within the same organization and with similar disciplinary training, highlighting the importance of expertise accessibility. Prior relationships and network structural features were associated with advice-seeking, indicating that participants built on existing social ties. Advice-seeking did not vary based on participants’ role or experience. Conclusions Given the importance of accessible clinical expertise and ongoing supervision for delivering treatment with fidelity, learning collaboratives may support implementation by promoting clinicians’ awareness of and access to others’ expertise, especially those with substantial expertise to share (e.g., faculty experts and supervisors). Future controlled studies are needed to verify the effectiveness of learning collaboratives for building networks that connect clinicians and experts and for improving implementation

Child Welfare Workers’ Connectivity to Resources and Youth’s Receipt of Services

Youth involved in the child welfare system are at high risk for mental illness, substance abuse, and other behavioral health issues, which child welfare workers are expected to address through referrals. Child welfare workers (N=27) who participated in Project IMPROVE (Intervention for Multisector Provider Enhancement) reported on services they provided to youth (N=307) in their caseloads. Using survey and administrative data, this paper examines workers’ service actions on behalf of youth. Results were consistent with the Gateway Provider Model and showed that youths received help from a greater variety of service sectors when their workers were able to identify behavioral health problems, and were familiar with and connected to other providers in the community. Improving service delivery to youth in child welfare may be accomplished by training workers in the signs and symptoms of behavioral health problems and familiarizing them with providers in the community

Developing Today's Youth Leaders to be Tomorrow's College Graduates

Since 2013, the Learning in Fitness and Education through Sports (LiFEsports) Initiative at Ohio State has implemented a curriculum-based leadership program for youth ages 14-18. This program emerged because youth who attended the traditional LiFEsports summer camp (ages 9-14) wanted to "give back" and "stay involved" after they had aged out of the traditional camp. Given their interest and the program's desire to support these students’ to achieve college graduation or other post-secondary educational opportunities, the LiFEsports Youth Leadership Academy (YLA) was developed. The YLA was designed to expand upon the social skills taught at the LiFEsports summer camp and clinics (i.e., self-control, effort, teamwork, and social responsibility) by providing high school youth with additional educational experiences that will help them gain 21st century skills such as leadership, communication, teamwork, and problem-solving. Additionally, the program strives to prepare youth with the knowledge and skills to be active in their community (citizenship). Over the last five years, the YLA included educational opportunities such as guest speakers, college access education, one-on-one mentoring, financial literacy and college tours and visits. At the conclusion of the 2017-2018 program, two Ohio State faculty members worked with program staff to design and implement a series of focus groups to illicit feedback from mentors, activity facilitators, and the youth themselves as to the impact of the program, opportunities for program improvements, and program successes. This poster will present the findings from these focus groups and how program staff utilized this data to enhance the overall YLA logic model and add additional program design features, such as youth-led committees, academic supports, and career exploration with community partners, to further the program impact on youth. Additionally, strategies will be shared for aligning key community partners to focused impact areas within the logic model and program design.AUTHOR AFFILIATION: Rebecca Wade-Mdivanian, director of operations, LiFEsports, OSU Extension, [email protected] (Corresponding Author); Stephen Moore, program manager, LiFEsports, OSU Extension; Dawn Anderson-Butcher, professor, Ohio State College of Social Work; Jerome Davis, director of staff professional development, Ohio State Department of Athletics; Alicia Bunger, associate professor, Ohio State College of Social WorkThe LiFEsports Youth Leadership Academy (YLA), first implemented in 2013, is designed to support high school youth who participated in the LiFEsports summer camp to achieve entrance and graduation into college and/or post-secondary educational opportunities. After five years of program implementation, two Ohio State faculty members worked with program staff to design and implement a series of focus groups to gather feedback from mentors, activity facilitators, and the youth themselves about the impact of the program, opportunities for program improvements, and program successes. This poster will present the findings from these program evaluation focus groups and how program staff utilized this data to enhance the overall YLA logic model and add additional program design features. Strategies also will be shared for aligning key community partners to focused impact areas within the logic model and program design