Youth functional status and academic achievement in collaborative mental health and education Programs: Two California care systems

This article describes the educational and functional status of youth serve d in joint education and mental health programs nested within two counties implementing the California System of Care Model for youth with severe emot ional disturbance. The goals of the study were to (a) describe the demograp hic, educational, and clinical characteristics of youth served in education /mental health programs; (b) understand the relationship between functional status and academic achievement of these youth; and (c) compare these yout h with matched peers involved in the broader system of care. Children and a dolescents in the education/mental health programs were primarily Anglo-Ame rican boys with low academic achievement and high levels of functional impa irment. Functional status and academic achievement were not related. Youth served in the specialized programs were more functionally impaired than you th served in the broader care system. This study provides evidence that you th served in education/mental health programs have the types of multisystem needs that may warrant multiagency collaboration and services.