Pennsylvania's Mental Health System for Children & Youth

This report was conducted by the Legislative Budget and Finance Committee (LBFC). LBFC is a bipartisan, bicameral legislative service agency consisting of 12 members of the General Assembly. LBFC conducts studies and makes recommendations aimed at eliminating unnecessary expenditures in the operation and performance of state-funded programs and agencies. The researchers sought to determine the impact and effectiveness of Act 2004-147 which allows a child's parent or legal guardian to consent to the child's mental health treatment without the child's consent. As part of this investigation, the researchers conducted an evaluation of the continuum of children's mental health system in the commonwealth in FY 2004-2005.

The researchers reviewed state and federal policy documents, and met with the Departments of Public Welfare (DPW), Education, Health, and Insurance, and the Juvenile Court Judges Commission. County mental health and mental retardation administrators and juvenile justice center and program administrators filled out a survey. The researchers met with providers and conducted field visits to 13 counties as well as contacting national organizations and other states for information about how children's mental health services are provided.

The LBFC determined that the Commonwealth has gaps in the mental health system for children and youth. The key concerns are:

• Shortage of child psychiatry services
   
• Lack of services for transition-age youth and young adults
   
• Lack of services for co-occurring disorders
   
• Educational services in partial hospital programs
   
• Lack of respite care services
   
• Need for prevention services
   
• Need for expanded training and current workforce shortages
   
• Need for culturally appropriate services