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Health/Mental Health

NCYL strives to eliminate barriers to appropriate health and mental health care for low-income children, with a focus on adolescents and at-risk youth.


Photo: Derek Brown

Latest News

Los Angeles Times, October 15, 2008
Los Angeles County's Board of Supervisors passed a 5-year, $62-million plan Tuesday to improve mental health services, taking a step toward fulfilling a 5-year-old settlement in a class-action lawsuit brought on behalf of children in foster care.


Katie A. Ruling Moves CA Closer to Providing Foster Children the Mental Health Services They Need
September 22, 2008 - Federal Judge A. Howard Matz ordered the parties in Katie A. v. Bonta to meet promptly and report back to the Court by October 29 on how “wraparound” services can be covered by Medi-Cal and properly billed—thereby ensuring that mental health care providers will be reimbursed for delivering these critical services to children in foster care.



Check out NCYL's new website designed to help CA providers of adolescent health care understand the many laws that impact their work, with a focus on reproductive health.


LITIGATION

December 13, 2007 - The state’s largest and most influential groups advocating for homeless individuals with mental illness have sued Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to restore a highly effective program they say is vital to their clients’ safety and well-being.

March 23, 2007 - A federal appeals court reversed a preliminary injunction requiring intensive mental health services for tens of thousands of foster children. However, the appeals court affirmed California’s obligation to provide effective services to these children, and upheld the lower court’s finding that these children face the grave harm of unnecessary institutionalization without the injunction. 

POLICY & LEGISLATION

January, 2008 - The first year of the new Alameda County Juvenile Collaborative Court was a great success. The purpose of the Court is to divert youth with mental health issues from the juvenile justice system.


NCYL Deputy Director Patrick Gardner has been appointed to the newly established California Child Welfare Council. The goal of the Council is to increase collaboration among agencies and courts that serve foster youth, and improve the coordination and delivery of foster youth services. 

NCYL has forged an innovative partnership with the nation's first Juvenile Mental Health Court - Santa Clara (CA) County's Court for the Individualized Treatment of Adolescents (CITA).


Events & Training

NCYL Senior Attorney Rebecca Gudeman provides trainings to health care providers on minor consent, confidentiality, and child abuse reporting. For more information please contact Rebecca Gudeman.

Publications


 Minor Consent, Confidentiality, and Child Abuse Reporting in California


By Abigail English, Jane Perkins and Catherine Teare


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Photo: Harry Cutting

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