Uta M. Walter

A Template for Family-Centered Interagency Collaboration

In this paper, it is asserted that successful interagency collaborations require commitment to a shared value base as the core dimension of the joint efforts. A rationale framework that places family-centered principles at the core is provided, and how these principles translate into specific behaviors, attitudes, and policies on all levels within and between organizations is outlined. This template can provide guidance to local and state policy makers involved in reforming systems of care.

Family-Centered Residential Treatment: Knowledge, Research, and Values Converge

SUMMARY Although the evidence base for the effectiveness of residential treatment is still very limited, a review of the literature reveals family-centered residential care as an emerging best practice. Synthesizing knowledge from research, families, youth, professionals, as well as values put forth in the standards by accrediting organizations, this article shows a convergence of views that supports a shift toward family-centered residential care. Existing examples of family-centered initiatives and programs are provided, and key components for family-centered residential care are outlined.

Toward a Third Space: Improvisation and Professionalism in Social Work:

Pressured to be a “proper profession,” social work often failed to attend to its ambiguous and improvisational nature. In this article, the author recasts social work in a performance framework and repositions the profession between traditional categories such as art or science. In an indeterminate “third space of the borderlands” the critical yet unrecognized improvisational arenas of social life and social work become visible. Exploring improvisation, the author discusses theater literature and provides insights as to how social work is an improvisational profession that always performs and re-forms various identities.

Lessons from the research on paraprofessionals for attendant care in children's mental health.

This article summarizes literature about paraprofessionals who assist children or families in the areas of mental health, education, or early childhood education, and focuses on three main questions: How effective are paraprofessionals?; what are the common and appropriate roles and responsibilities of paraprofessionals?; and what qualifications, training, and supervision are needed for paraprofessionals? Implications are inferred for a burgeoning new form of paraprofessional services: attendant care in community based mental health services for children. Lessons from existing literature can help mental health administrators and clinical supervisors at state and local levels to select, train, supervise, and evaluate attendant care workers.

Evidence-based practice: a critical reflection

This article employs the process of critical reflection to uncover and challenge the hegemonic assumptions of evidence-based practice (EBP). The critical reflection process results in a re-conceptualisation of best practices that, while still honouring empirical research, is less hierarchical and more inclusive of a broad spectrum of interests than traditional EBP. Multidimensional Evidence-Based Practice (MEBP) validates consumer wisdom, professional experience, and qualitative research as equal partners to quantitative research in determining current state-of-the art best practices. Furthermore, MEBP incorporates a value-critical analysis of those best practices that can lead to improvements and innovations, so that ‘best practices’ becomes a dynamic rather than a static construct.

Gendered Differences: Postmodern Feminist Perspectives and Young Women Identified as "Emotionally Disabled"

Little consideration has been given to adolescent girls identified as having emotional disabilities in either the research or clinical literature. Social workers continue to use developmental theories that are based on males, and thus contribute to the persistent silence about the needs of this population. Feminist and postmodern perspectives can serve to highlight how dominant discourses around “gender,” “emotional disabilities,” and “psychological development” influence social work theory and practice with this population. This paper uses feminist and postmodern re-visions of developmental theories to deconstruct the current research and clinical practices with female adolescents and shows how these re-visions can inform our thinking about adolescent girls identified as having emotional or behavioral disabilities.

Informing Best Practices for Children in Psychiatric Crises: Perspectives and Insights From Families

Young children in psychiatric crisis present complex challenges to their families and service providers. This article presents a qualitative study of families’ perspectives on the crisis that led to their childs hospitalization, as well as their experience and satisfaction with prior community-based services including crisis services. Results of the study support the usefulness of an ecological view on child mental health emergencies, and specify the need for the development of a more family-centered, community-based crisis response system that includes secure transportation and access to “warm-line” services. To prevent or curtail hospitalization of children, families require assistance in outpatient medication management, especially timely access to psychiatric medication consults and clear information from professionals about benefits and side effects.