Module 1: Overview of the Juvenile Justice, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Treatment Systems

5. Importance of Families

The family is the essential force in socializing a child. It is at the core of the ecological system that supports a child’s social, cognitive, and emotional development. If parents are not supported or are unable to provide positive environments for their children, the juvenile justice and foster care systems become the surrogate family. Despite the efforts of the federally funded Child and Adolescent Service System Program (CASSP) initiative in 1984 to support intervention strategies that encourage active family participation, involving families in the treatment of youth with co-occurring disorders continues to be challenging (Stroul & Friedman, 1986).

Family partnership in treatment has often been met with discomfort from professionals in the mental health, substance abuse, and juvenile justice fields. Families of these youth (often represented by a single mother) are sometimes viewed as noncompliant or unavailable for the services offered to their children. Some have co-occurring disorders themselves. Families are stressed by multiple factors, both internal and community-based. Parents often mistrust professionals and view their personal involvement in treatment as uncomfortable and burdensome. Treatment programs and providers are often unaware of or discount the cultural and ethnic barriers that impede family involvement in treatment.

In response to these factors, families, with the support of public, foundation, and private contributions, have developed the advocacy organization, Federation of Families, whose principles and policies are described below (Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health, 1995). This section also provides information on barriers to family involvement with the juvenile justice system, and what families need. An exercise is included that highlights the main points professionals from each system should consider when involving families of youth with co-occurring disorders.