Claims of abuse, neglect, and trauma are reportedly affecting more children of color and those with mental and behavioral health needs.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Proponents are leaning toward legal action in hopes of changing the legal battle. North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) Making foster care a therapeutic alternative to trauma.
lawsuit was filed on behalf of Disability Rights North Carolina and of the state NAACP A chapter with leaders fighting to improve practices within the psychiatric residential treatment facility known as the PRTF.
in the federal complaintthe PRTF has been called “like a prison” and proponents claim they are overused, based on a 114{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c} increase since 2010.
CEO Shereen Karako promise resource network She experienced first-hand problems with her mental health system as a teenager and wants to work to counteract the ongoing problems that recent research shows.
“They’ve been and have been finding abuse, neglect, physical abuse, and sexual abuse of children in these settings for quite some time,” Karako said.
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She added that more should be done to help, not hurt, people who are struggling with mental health issues and substance abuse.
“Then there’s a whole other level of trauma and betrayal, and people start questioning whether it’s even safe to seek treatment,” Karako said.
NCDHHS data also show that children of color make up more than 40{ea2cba5bdf6fe62bbe85e24807814144a71e77d3ae7311fbc27a008558d1372c} of children confined to PRTF. As a result, you are more likely to be affected by system problems. As part of the lawsuit, supporters are demanding more oversight and accountability.
In a statement, NCDHHS has addressed these concerns and some solutions include:
- Create a new division of child and family well-being dedicated to addressing the well-being of children and families as a whole, including behavioral health prevention and treatment.
- Propose statewide child and family specialty plans within Medicaid-managed care to ensure foster children receive integrated physical and behavioral health services with specialized care management
- Caring for Child Welfare Services Publish a coordinated action plan that develops strategies to address the immediate crisis of children with complex behavioral health needs; Child Welfare, Behavioral Health, Regulation Advocate for greater investment in the supervisory workforce. The plan was created and endorsed by many stakeholders, including child and family advocates, behavioral health providers, the LME/MCO, her DSS office in the county, and people with real-life experience.
NCDHHS also added that significant funding is needed to continue to bring these solutions to life.
