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

6C. Child Welfare Placement

Youth with co-occurring disorders often have extensive histories of multiple placements in foster care, group homes, shelters, and residential facilities. Many continue to be wards of the state until 18 years of age without a realistic placement plan being implemented. Child welfare case workers often have extensive caseloads that discourage the intensive involvement required to help families resolve the issues that have led to an out-of-home placement. Case workers are at times relieved by the placement of a high-risk youth in a juvenile justice facility because of the difficulties they experience maintaining these youth in safe residential placements and the difficulty of accessing treatment for co-occurring disorders. Not having a residential placement is one of the most significant stressors for youth with co-occurring disorders involved with the juvenile justice system.