Children

The National Academies of Science estimates that roughly one in five children in America experiences some form of diagnosable mental, emotional or behavioral disorder. The Bazelon Center works to protect, promote and advance the rights of children with mental or emotional disorders.

News

• Report Points Way to School Success for Children with Mental Health Needs
  “Way to Go"—praise for a child and a roadmap for policymakers” is the opening sentence of a report issued today by the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law that lays out a new direction for child mental health systems linked to a new movement in education.

Children's Mental Health Fact Sheets

A list of key facts and statistics on children's mental health issues. These fact sheets are presented in printer-friendly PDF and browser-friendly HTML formats. Click here...

Special Concerns

• New: Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support--the way to go for schoolchildren who have mental health needs (5/09)
• Restraint and seclusion:
  • Debunking the Myths of Restraint and Seclusion in Schools from the National Disability Rights Network (1/27/10)
  • School Is Not Supposed to Hurt: an investigative report and a February 2010 follow-up report by the National Disability Rights Network
  • Federal rules on restraint and seclusion in residential treatment centers
• Custody relinquishment to access mental health services
• Unjust denial of parental rights
• Juvenile justice
• Residential treatment centers:
  • Not a Solution for Children with Mental Health Needs (7/05 article)
  • A-Start summary of October 9, 2007 hearing
  • A new report by the Government Accountability Office (4/08) on Residential Facilities: State and Federal Oversight Gaps May Increase Risk to Youth Well-Being
  • Supreme Court Review of Forest Grove Case Highlights Inappropriateness of Residential Treatment for Children (4/9/09)
• Wraparound and therapeutic foster care
• Bazelon Center Position Statement on Mental Health Screening
• New: Setting up a special needs trust (4/09)

New: The chapter on Children's Healthcare Coverage inCovering Health Issues, a reporters' guide published by the Alliance for Health Reform (3/23/09)