Children and youth with behavioral health needs and their families often interact with multiple public systems, including Medicaid, child welfare, juvenile justice, education, intellectual and developmental disability services, and housing supports. Many of these children are enrolled in or eligible for Medicaid and may be at risk of placement outside their homes when families cannot access timely, coordinated, and intensive services.

This brief is designed for leaders, administrators, managers, and policymakers in behavioral health, Medicaid, and public health agencies. It provides an overview of key child- and family-serving systems and offers strategies to strengthen cross-sector coordination. These strategies can help prevent unnecessary multisystem involvement and keep children and families in their homes and communities.

This paper was developed for SAMHSA by the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS) and Innovations Institute at the University of Connecticut School of Social Work, in partnership with the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD).