Evangelical Civil War on the College Campus,White Evangelical Right Framing Resistance to Racial Justice in 2020s America

This paper examines a civil war brewing among evangelicals on the college campus over racial justice—calls for greater racial equality, equity, and inclusion—in the era of Black Lives Matter (BLM). It examines how the white evangelical right are framing their resistance to racial justice and redrawing the color line in the contemporary college evangelical landscape not with distant “social justice warriors” in broader secular society, but with those right inside their evangelical community who, at varying levels, are coming out in support for racial justice in 2020s America. To do this, I first examine the varied campus evangelicals that support racial justice and how they express and frame their support as proper religious practice. I then explicate how the white evangelical right utilize a strategy of colorblind-othering to fight against these co-evangelicals that support racial justice. Data for the study come from the Landscape Study of Chaplaincy and Campus Ministry (2019–22).     

Satisfaction,involvement, and unconditional care: The perceptions of children and adolescents receiving wraparound services

Client satisfaction has emerged as an important variable in evaluating outcomes for mental health treatment, yet studies have seldom queried children and adolescents about their perceptions of the services they receive. The present study surveyed 20 youths receiving community-based, wraparound services about their satisfaction, sense of involvement, and feelings of unconditional care. Unconditional care, in this case, referred to the youth's sense that his or her caretakers would remain stable regardless of what happened. Each of these variables was in turn related to behavioral adjustment. It was found that both youths' sense of involvement and their perceptions that their care was unconditional were strongly associated with satisfaction with services. However, neither satisfaction nor involvement were correlated with the severity of subjects' acting-out behaviors. Subjects' perception that care was unconditional was strongly, negatively correlated with the severity of acting-out behaviors. Thus, while the relationship between satisfaction and behavior remains unclear, it appears that youths' perceptions of the stability of their services plays a role in their acting out. It was concluded that youths' feelings about their services can provide meaningful information for researchers and service providers.     

Impact of substance abuse and child maltreatment training on service utilization in a rural setting

Substance abuse and child maltreatment have been recognized as co-morbid problems encountered in families presenting in the child protective services (CPS) system. Nonetheless, utilization rates of substance abuse treatment services have generally lagged well behind what the research would suggest are prevalence rates for substance abuse disorders in this population, suggesting problems in recognition and referral practices among CPS workers. In response to this, 25 training programs were funded by the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect. This study reports data from one program. Trainees indicated a high level of satisfaction and demonstrated significant knowledge gains. More importantly, utilization of substance abuse services increased significantly across time in a multi-county region receiving training relative to a comparison region receiving none. The gain was limited, suggesting that while increased knowledge may translate into increased service utilization, additional barriers to accessing needed services must also be addressed.     

Effective Treatment for Mental Disorders in Children and Adolescents

As pressure increases for the demonstration of effective treatment for children with mental disorders, it is essential that the field has an understanding of the evidence base. To address this aim, the authors searched the published literature for effective interventions for children and adolescents and organized this review as follows: (1) prevention; (2) traditional forms of treatment, namely outpatient therapy, partial hospitalization, inpatient treatment, and psychopharmacology; (3) intensive comprehensive community-based interventions including case management, home-based treatment, therapeutic foster care, and therapeutic group homes; (4) crisis and support services; and (5) treatment for two prevalent disorders, major depressive disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Strong evidence was found for the treatment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, anxiety, and disruptive behavior disorders. Guidance from the field relevant to moving the evidence-based interventions into real-world clinical practice and further strengthening the research base will also need to address change in policy and clinical training.     

A Posture of Reciprocity: A Practical Approach to Collaboration Between Professionals and Parents of Culturally Diverse Backgrounds

The current emphasis on developing culturally responsive services for families of children with disabilities from culturally diverse backgrounds informs the need for professional self-awareness whereby professionals learn to recognize not only the cultural specificity of personal values and beliefs but also of their professional practice. We describe an approach, the posture of reciprocity, that enables professionals to acquire this level of cultural awareness. Examples to illustrate applications of the posture are provided.     

Use of mental health services among severely emotionally disturbed children and adolescents in San Francisco

This study examined the mental health services available to severely emotionally disturbed children and adolescents in San Francisco. Social, familial, developmental, and clinical data—as well as service use histories—on 192 youths were collected. Results indicated high levels of family dysfunction, physical and sexual abuse, and neglect in the total study population. The study also identified case history and demographic factors that were associated with repeated psychiatric inpatient hospitalizationand high annual rates of change in residential placement. These factors included being male, older, non-English-speaking, and having a history of physical and sexual abuse. The impact of the service system on the lives and course of illness of these youth is discussed and future directions for research are suggested.     

Integrating systems of care in california for youth with severe emotional disturbance II: Initial group home expenditure and utilization findings from the California AB377 Evaluation Project

The California AB377 Evaluation Project was established to study the replication of an innovative system of care in three California counties for youth suffering from severe emotional disturbance. Development of the innovative system of care was pioneered in Ventura County, California, and the replications were legislatively enabled through Assembly Bill 377 (AB377). This paper reports evaluative findings about a central goal of the innovative care system: the reduction of use of highly restrictive out-of-home placements though creation and maintenance of coordinated and effective community-based services. Group home facilities are the focus of the evaluation work because these facilities consume the largest proportion of all public expenditures for youth in residential placements in California. More than 10 years of aggregate county and state level monthly expenditure and utilization data are presented. The results indicate that the demonstration counties have generated lower per capita inflation adjusted rates of expenditures and per capita group home placements than California as a whole. The evaluation results provide evidence that an integrated system of care can reduce group home placements. However, the nature, quality and effectiveness of any and/or all alternative services provided remains a topic for further investigation.     

Innovations in Family Support: What Are We Learning?

As family support programs develop across the United States through grassroots efforts by families, state demonstration projects, and local initiatives, new opportunities have become available to examine the experiences of families with service delivery systems. In this study, the research team examined key principles of innovative family support and their effects on families with children at high risk for out-of-home placements. The research team used a multi-case study design with indepth participant observation and semi-structured interviews with a purposeful sample of families. The findings on agency implementation and the families' perspectives are described, together with implications for agency change in family support. The findings point to the need for a re-examination of the emerging approaches to family support innovations, including in the context of national policy reform and the agency-based, service delivery system.     

Individualized services and supports through the wraparound process: Philosophy and procedures

The wraparound process is emerging as an alternative to the traditional treatment planning processes inherent in categorical services for children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders. We describe the current practices which have been developed in the field. Key elements of the value and philosophical base for the wraparound process are discussed. Proposed procedural steps are described to aid communities in the implementation of the wraparound process. Due to social and policy pressures, it is likely that wraparound process implementations will continue to develop.     

Bows and ribbons,tape and twine: Wrapping the wraparound process for children with multi-system needs

The wraparound process for children with multi-system needs is one of the most innovative and popular reform efforts in children's services. Nonetheless, the articles in this special issue are indicative of a service reform process that is still maturing and evolving. In this commentary, three key questions regarding the wraparound process are posed: (a) What is wraparound? (b) What is the current state of research regarding wraparound services? and (c) What are the implications for the future? It is argued that the future of wraparound depends at least in part on: (a) carefully defining the wraparound process, including how to best integrate the process with reforms based on the principles of a comprehensive system of care; and (b) making a strong commitment at all levels to the process of cumulative knowledge, of building and creating innovative research and program efforts over time, one upon the other. It is concluded that a failure to invest in careful definition, refinement, implementation, and research on the wraparound process consitutes a failure to invest in children and families with multi-system needs.