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Facilitating mental health service use for caregivers: referral strategies among child welfare caseworkers
- Authors:
- BUNGER Alicia C., CHUANG Emmeline, McBEATH Bowen
- Journal article citation:
- Children and Youth Services Review, 34(4), April 2012, pp.696-703.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
Caregivers involved with the child welfare system are disproportionately likely to have mental health needs. Child welfare caseworkers are well positioned to identify service needs and refer caregivers to treatment. The aim of this study was to examine child welfare caseworkers' use of different referral strategies and the extent to which these strategies are associated with caregivers' receipt of mental health services. The study utilised data from the second cohort of families from the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being. The sample used for this study comprised 640 caregivers who were assessed by caseworkers as needing mental health services and for whom a referral was made. Analysis suggests 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. These findings indicate that service use is facilitated by caseworkers' direct support for arranging services. Implications for research and for child welfare managers and administrators are discussed.