Interagency activities

DHS works in partnership with many other state staff from other agencies to ensure integrated approaches to more comprehensively meet the complex needs of children with mental health diagnoses. Current efforts target children and youth involved with a variety of systems, including:

Adult services

Data from 2007 showed more than 35,000 youth recipients of Minnesota Health Care Program and county mental health services were of transition age, 14 to 25 years. There is a demand for more coordination of services to support youth with mental health needs who are transitioning from children’s services systems, particularly foster care, juvenile corrections and special education systems, to the adult services systems. DHS strategizes with other areas to plan and provide services and supports for the future of these youth to ensure their success as they mature and move toward more independence. Implementation of Youth ACT (Assertive Community Treatment) for youth ages 16 and 17 became effective in 2013.
Child welfare
Children who have suffered abuse or neglect are at risk for mental health disorders, particularly related to trauma. The Children’s Mental Health Division works with the Child Safety and Permanency Division to implement requirements in 2003 legislation to integrate mental health screening into child welfare practices for children and youth receiving child protective services or in out-of-home placement. This intent of this integration is to identify and respond sooner to children and youth with mental health problems. Among children in the child welfare system, 55 percent or 4,279 received mental health screening in 2009.

Mental health screening is a brief process to detect potential mental health problems. It is intended to identify children and youth in need of further evaluation. DHS supports the creation and implementation of the Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) in response to the federal child welfare review. The division initiates efforts to improve mental health screening rates and outcomes for adolescents transitioning out of the foster care system. The Legislature approved therapeutic foster care benefits, slated for implementation in 2011.

The following project also integrate services to support families and meet the mental health needs of children in the child welfare system:
- Trauma-Informed Care
Education

Since most children go to school, schools are likely and logical places for linking children who have mental health concerns with mental health services. Mental health issues should not get in the way of children’s ability to learn and get along with others. DHS coordinates with the Minnesota Department of Education to improve collaborative efforts between educational and mental health systems to support children’s and youth’s positive mental health and school success.

Interagency approaches focus on connecting or co-locating effective mental health services with schools. This includes strengthening the schools as settings where there can be earlier recognition and responses to students’ mental health needs. Current projects strive to increase access to services and improve clinical and functional outcomes for children with a mental health diagnosis.

Children in preschool or school who meet criteria for certain disability categories, including some mental health diagnoses, qualify for special education. Special education is specially designed instruction and related services to meet the unique needs of children with disabilities.

The purpose of the Minnesota State Interagency Committee (MnSIC) is to assist local school board and county boards to establish a coordinated service system for children with disabilities, ages 3 to 21, and their families. This interagency effort also advises, promotes and develops policy recommendations for improving multidisciplinary planning and coordinated responses to the needs of these children, youth and families.

DHS works with other state agencies to establish unified planning processes for children receiving special education and other publicly funded services.
Juvenile justice

Among youth involved with corrections, 70 percent have mental health disorders. DHS partners with other state and local agencies to improve outcomes for these youth. The 2003 Legislature amended the Minnesota Juvenile Code to require mental health screening for juvenile justice populations. Among youth in juvenile probation, 99 percent or 4,698 received mental health screening in 2009.

DHS approved tools for mental health screening of youth in the juvenile justice system.
Public health

There are numerous statewide partnerships working to improve the access to and quality of health services and systems to better meet the need of children and youth with special developmental, mental, oral, and physical health care needs. The projects promote coordinated assessments, treatment and follow up along the continuum from early childhood intervention to transition planning for youth and young adults.

DHS collaborates on many public health activities pertaining to health promotion and prevention, including those for very young children and youth at risk of suicide.