Content
Manager:
Brenda Proffitt, MHA
DATABASE TOOLS TO ASSESS CHILD TRAUMA
The SAMHSA-funded National Child Traumatic Stress Network has prepared and released a free online searchable database that provides clinicians and researchers with in-depth information to enable them to choose the best instrument to assess children and adolescents who have experienced trauma. The Measures Review Database fills an important gap in the field. Its purpose is to promote the use of state-of-the-art measures for improved clinical intervention and research on child trauma.
HEALING KIDS
The HCH Clinicians' Network produces Healing Kids, an e-newsletter that highlights resources, news and events for those who work with homeless children and adolescents. Past issues are archived on this website, and a Healing Kids' subscription is just one of the benefits of belonging to the Network.
GOT MILK?
Got Milk? Responding to Pediatric Dental Injuries of Homeless Children is one in a series of Health Care Case Reports developed by the HCH Clinicians' Network in an effort to share practice-based experience.
HOMELESS CHILDREN: What Every Health Care Provider Should Know
"Homeless Children: What Every Health Care Provider Should Know" is a PowerPoint presentation developed by Catherine Karr, MD, in collaboration with the HCH Clinicians' Network Pediatric Work Group. You may view the presentation online or download it no cost for use in your own presentations to medical residents, policy makers, new homeless providers and others. The goals of the presentations are to help viewers recognize homelessness and the risks of homelessness in families with children; to understand specific health problems of homeless children; to modify health care plans and prevention strategies appropriately; and to be able to find resources for homeless patients and their families.
POLICY STATEMENT ON HOMELESS CHILDREN AND YOUTH
Annually the National Health Care for the Homeless Council Policy Committee develops Policy Statements on a number of homeless-specific issues. The 2007 statements describe an advocacy agenda for ending homelessness by assuring basic human rights, including the rights to health care and housing. The HCH Clinicians' Network Pediatric Work Group collaborated with the Policy Committee to develop a statement on Child and Youth Homelessness.
ASK THE EXPERT
"Ask the Expert" is a service of the HCH Clinicians' Network intended to be a resource for clinicians who work with people experiencing homelessness. In this column, our experts Ann Petru, MD, and Cheryl Zlotnick, DrPH, answer Network members' questions about pediatric HIV/AIDS and educating homeless children. 2003.
HEALING HANDS ARTICLES ON HOMELESS CHILDREN AND YOUTH
TREATMENT AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HOMELESS CHILDREN WITH OTITIS MEDIA
Clinicians who provide primary care to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness routinely adapt their medical practice to foster better outcomes for these patients. Standard clinical practice guidelines often fail to take into consideration the unique challenges faced by homeless patients that may limit their ability to adhere to a plan of care. Recognizing the gap between standard clinical guidelines and clinical practices used by health care providers experienced in the care of homeless individuals, the HCH Clinicians' Network developed a series of treatment recommendations called Adapting Your Practice.
Adapting Your Practice: Treatment & Recommendations for Homeless Children with Otitis Media is one of the publications produced as part of this series. These special recommendations, which reflect HCH clinicians' collective experience in serving homeless children, address treatment and prevention of ear infections in children who lack residential stability.
HOMELESS YOUNG ADULTS AGES 18 - 24: EXAMINING SERVICE DELIVERY ADAPTATIONS
Young adults (ages 18 - 24) are especially vulnerable to homelessness. The estimated numbers of young adults who experience an episode of homelessness each year range from approximately 750,000 to two million, and are believed to be increasing; families as well as individuals are affected. To articulate and address some of the urgent issues facing these young adults, six seasoned clinicians and researchers working with displaced youth collaborated with National Health Care for the Homeless Council staff in developing this report. Homeless Young Adults Ages 18-24: Examining Service Delivery Adaptations is organized around four main topics: health care, housing, education and employment, and social support. Testimonials from homeless assistance providers and their clients and examples of recommended interventions are interspersed with program descriptions and proposed strategies, and a list of resources, including references that illustrate the issues described, is appended.
TEEN SUICIDE PREVENTION
A 30-minute educational DVD, "Eternal High" is produced by a student who captured his true-life battle with depression and suicide. It includes a short film made while unaware he was clinically depressed followed by a speech to his school after receiving treatment. The speech discusses his experience with depression, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, self-injury, self-medicating substance abuse, and his treatment. Members of the HCH Clinicians' Network Pediatric Work Group previewed the DVD in June 2007. They found it powerful, with a few shortcomings, but overall worthwhile. Our clinicians thought that many homeless teens may not identify with the middle-class white teen and his problems shown in the first part of the film, but they agree that the second part will resonate with homeless youth. "Eternal High" is distributed by Aquarius Health Care Media; phone: 888 440-2963. 2006
YOUTH HOMELESSNESS
Youth homelessness is disturbingly common. Although the prevalence of youth homelessness is difficult to measure, researchers estimate that about 5 to 7.7 percent of youth experience homelessness. With at least one million youth on the streets and in shelter-and thousands more leaving juvenile justice, mental health facilities and foster care systems-the problem of youth homelessness continues to grow. Everyone finds transitioning to adulthood difficult, but homeless adolescents have even greater obstacles to overcome. Stable housing linked with services are critical to helping homeless youth transition to adulthood.
The National Alliance to End Homelessness, Policy Focus Area on Youth, has many resources including:
- Fact Checker: Youth Homelessness;
- America's Homeless Youth: Recommendations to Congress on the Runaway & Homeless Youth Act;
- Fundamental Issues to Prevent & End Youth Homelessness;
- Ten Essentials to Ending Youth Homelessness;
- Runaway & Homeless Youth: Demographics, Programs & Emerging Issues;
- Fact Sheet on Homeless Youth;
- Web of Failure: The Relationship Between Foster Care & Homelessness; and
- much, much more.
ADDITIONAL ONLINE RESOURCES
 - Access to Children's Mental Health Services under Medicaid and SCHIP | Assessing the New Federalism: An Urban Institute Program to Assess Changing Social Policies | August 2004
- Annie E. Casey Foundation
- Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law | Site includes resources on children and families including fact sheets, reports and more | Examples are Way to Go: School Success for Children with Mental Health Care Needs and Moving On: Federal Programs to Assist Transition-Age Youth with Serious Mental Health Conditions
- California Evidence-Based Clearinghouse for Child Welfare
- Campaign for U.S. Ratification of the Convention on the Rights
of the Child
- Childhood poverty: Specific associations with neurocognitive development | Brain Research | Vol. 1110, Issue 1 | September 19, 2006 | pages 166-174
- Children’s Health Fund
- Early Head Start National Resource Center | Pathways to Prevention: A Comprehensive Guide for Supporting Infant & Toddler Mental Health
- Facts on Children's Mental Health
- Facts on Co-Occurring Mental Illness & Substance Abuse Disorders in Children & Adolescents
- Facts on Transitional Services for Youth with Mental Illness
- Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health
- Good Parenting Raises Kids' Mental Skills: Study Shows Better Parenting Skills Sharpen Minds of Kids in Poverty | Martin Downs | © 2008 WebMD, Inc.
- Homeless Family Facility Nutrition Guidelines | The Children's Health Fund
- Homeless Youth & the Perilous Passage to Adulthood | Network on Transitions to Adulthood Policy Brief | MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Transitions to Adulthood and Public Policy | University of Pennsylvania | April 2005
- Homeless Children: America’s New Outcasts
- Homes for the Homeless
- Horizons for Homeless Children
- Institute for Children & Poverty | Homes for the Homeless | Homeless in America: A Children’s Story
- Kids Count Data Book | Annie E. Casey Foundation | Find out how kids are doing across the nation and in your state and community. Create customized reports | 2007
- Maternal & Child Health Library Knowledge Paths | Georgetown University
- Moving into Adulthood for Youth with Disabilities & Serious Health Concerns | Network on Transitions to Adulthood Policy Brief | MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Transitions to Adulthood and Public Policy | University of Pennsylvania | July 2005
- National Association of State Coordinators for the Education of Homeless Children & Youth
- National Center for Homeless Education
- National Center for Mental Health & Juvenile Justice

- National Center on Family Homelessness
- National Child Traumatic Stress Network
- National Clearinghouse on Families & Youth
- National Network for Youth
- National Technical Assistance Center for Children’s Mental Health | Georgetown University Center for Child & Human Development
- NCAST-AVENUW | Nursing Child Assessment Satellite Training | NCAST-AVENUW is a program at the University of Washington affiliated with the School of Nursing and the Center on Human Development and Disability
- One Family | Ending family homelessness in Massachusetts one family at a time
- Promising Strategies to End Youth Homelessness | Dept of Health & Human Services & U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness | 2007
- Research & Training Center for Children’s Mental Health | The Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute | University of South Florida
- Research & Training Center on Family Support & Children’s Mental Health | Portland State University | Portland, Oregon
- Street Yoga | Yoga classes for youth living on the streets, girls in foster care, children of homeless families and young people recovering from abuse and trauma. Learn how to start a program like Street Yoga or review the Street Yoga training curriculum.
- Touch Research Institute
- Transitioning to Adulthood for Young Adults with Mental Health Issues | Network on Transitions to Adulthood Policy Brief | MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Transitions to Adulthood and Public Policy | University of Pennsylvania | July 2005
- Trauma Among Homeless Youth | The prevalence of homeless youth is difficult to determine, but researchers estimate that 1 million to 1.6 million youth per year experience homelessness. Not surprisingly, homeless youth have significant mental health problems, including depression, anxiety disorders, PTSD, suicidal ideation, and substance abuse disorders. These youth struggle to recover from both previous and new traumatic experiences while trying to survive in a hostile street environment. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network | 2007
- Treating Adolescents with HIV: Tools for Building Skills in Cultural Competence, Clinical Care & Support Free online training series for MDs, NPs, PAs, RNs, psychologists, social workers, case managers and other health professionals; continuing education credits available.
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | Administration on Children, Youth & Families | A Commitment to Supporting the Mental Health of Our Youngest Children: Report of the Infant Mental Health Forum
October 23 – 24, 2000
- U.S. Department of Health & Human Services | Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General. Chapter 3: Children and Mental Health
- Youth Aging Out of Foster Care | Network on Transitions to Adulthood Policy Brief | MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Transitions to Adulthood and Public Policy | University of Pennsylvania | April 2005
- Zero to Three
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