Outcomes for young people in out of home care accessing tiered mental health services in Sydney, Australia.

Young people in OOHC have complex mental health concerns, therefore the South Western Sydney Local Health District (SWSLHD) has trialled a tiered model of mental health care. Under this model the OOHC mental health team (OOHC-MHT) provides specialist tier four service delivery for those with the most severe, intense mental health needs. OOHC consumers with a reduced level of severity access services at a tier three centre-based iCAMHS. This study aims to understand the characteristics of young people in OOHC accessing different service provision options in Sydney, Australia. Sixty-six OOHC consumers 8-17 years accessing mental health services across SWSLHD from January 2020-December 2021 participated in the study. Group differences in OOHC-MHT and iCAMHS outcome measures were compared. HoNOSCA scores were significantly worse for OOHC-MHT than iCAMHS, indicating more severe psychopathology for OOHC-MHT at baseline. In OOHC-MHT, HoNOSCA decreased significantly from admission to discharge and scores on the CGAS increased significantly, indicating significant improvements in psychopathology and functioning. In the iCAMHS group scores on the HoNOSCA significantly decreased indicating improved psychopathology over this period. These findings support a tiered model of service delivery for OOHC consumers, with this tailored level of care resulting in significantly improved outcomes across a range of complexity.

Helping Young People in Out-of-Home Care: Basic Elements.

Children and adolescents (young people) who experience maltreatment early in life and are subsequently placed in out-of-home care (OOHC) are specifically at risk for poor mental health outcomes.1 Although rates vary by survey and location, up to half of these young people have clinical-level mental health difficulties, and another 20% to 25% have difficulties approaching clinical significance.2 These difficulties are characterized by high symptom complexity and severity, and include maltreatment-related mental health symptoms.2 Many young people in OOHC are difficult to engage with and retain in treatment, compounded by a lack of specialized mental health services3 and a history of problematic social interactions with supports.4 They are often reluctant to seek help because of stigmatization and confidentiality concerns, limited opportunities for decision making, service inaccessibility, distrust of mental health services, and their perception that professionals do not understand their circumstances.5 We propose 6 clinical practice modifications for mental health services working with young people in OOHC to enhance therapeutic engagement and to maximize their therapeutic outcomes.