THE IMPACT OF LEGISLATION TO IMPROVE COORDINATION OF SERVICES TO CHILDREN WITH SERIOUS EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE

Objective: This study evaluated the impact of state legislation in Ind iana mandating establishment of local coordinating committees to preve nt inappropriate placement of children and youth with serious emotiona l disturbance out of the home and to facilitate the development of com munity-based initiatives, Methods: In the first stage of the study a s urvey was sent to the directors of mental health, welfare, education, and probation agencies of each county to estimate the extent that the structure and processes mandated by law were in place. In the second s tage, structured interviews were conducted with the directors of key a gencies in seven representative counties. Results: Stage 1 produced 31 0 completed surveys from all 92 bounties; 73 counties had functioning committees. Improved coordination among providers was the most frequen tly cited reason for the committee's success; half of the respondents felt that the committee resulted in better services, More than half re ported that tao few service options were available, Other problems cit ed were rigid funding opportunities that limited options and lack of s taff time to attend and prepare for meetings. Interviewees in the seco nd stage noted that the committee too often formalized already-made de cisions, that consideration of individual cases came too late in the p rocess, and that in many cases less restrictive options had already be en tried unsuccessfully, They also noted that the committee process ha d not achieved its major objective of pooling resources to address the needs of particular children, Conclusions: Adequate funding and a fis cal strategy to support coordination and staffing of local coordinatin g committees are critical to their successful implementation.