Good news comes from Indiana counties that are being allowed humane treatment for mentally ill children who are avoiding the state’s court system. Outside this experimental programs in Elkhart, St. Joseph counties, and Southeastern Indiana, the only way most Indiana children with mental disabilities can receive state mental assistance is through the justice system. In other words, they must be classified as juvenile delinquents in order to receive treatment, whether or not they get into trouble.
But last fall, the Indiana Department of Child Services launched a pilot program which allows school officials, community members, judges, probation officers, prosecutors and public defenders to refer children who need mental health services to a community mental health access site, reports the Associated Press. That site evaluates the children’s levels of need. They need not first get in trouble with the law.
The AP report, based on a report from The Times of Munster newspaper, says that officials with Department of Child Services are pleased with the pilot program. An official there said 19 children have been referred there thus far.
Indiana has far to go in caring for its children who are mentally ill. Consider that the mental health community has had difficulty in holding on to the Evansville Psychiatric Children’s Center. The state has tried a number of times to shut it down in favor of out-patient community treatment programs. But the center remains in operation, one of the few in-patient facilities for children who need more than out-patient services.
The newest report from the Times of Munster indicates the state is making real progress in providing sensible treatment for mentally ill children.
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