Red Flags Trainee Roles and Responsibilities
The Better Todays. Better Tomorrows. For Children’s Mental Health program is designed to provide trainees with tools and information to use in their community once they have completed the trainings. As a trainee of Better Todays., all participants should assume a role in their community to help attain the vision and mission of the program:
- Understand and be able to recognize signs and symptoms of various mental disorders in children.
- Be familiar with effective treatments for mental disorders.
- Respect the rights of children with mental disorders as equal to those of other children.
- Continue to attend workshops/trainings to further education regarding children’s mental health and mental disorders issues.
- Be sensitive to issues of stigma and self-blame in children with mental disorders and their families.
- Know about and use local mental health resources.
- Outreach to other members of the community by sharing what you have learned about mental disorders in children from the Better Todays. Better Tomorrows. program.
Each Better Todays. trainee has additional roles based on the nature of their relationships with children who have mental disorders. General expectations are:
Clergy
- Respond to the needs of congregants who have mental disorders and their families in a timely fashion.
- Reference mental disorders and other mental health issues before large groups of congregants to increase awareness and decrease stigma of mental disorders.
- Encourage congregants to become more educated about mental disorders in children.
- Provide the same level of spiritual guidance for families of children with mental disorders as those families without children with mental disorders.
- Encourage congregants with mental disorders to seek treatment for themselves and their children.
- Provide congregants with up to date, scientific information that will support the treatment of mental disorders.
- Make timely referrals to community resources for congregants with mental disorders and their families.
School Teachers, Faculty, and Staff
- Teach students strategies that promote mental health – give them a stronger foundation.
- Conflict resolution
- Problem solving
- Social skills
- Coping skills
- Include mental disorders units in health curricula at primary and secondary levels of education. Utilize this unit to increase awareness and decrease the stigma of mental disorders, as well as to stress the importance of early identification and intervention.
- Understand that behavior is the manifestation of symptoms of mental disorders in children. Use effective tools to address these issues.
- Access available mental health support services to maximize the educational experience for children with mental disorders.
- Aggressively pursue student, family member, and guardian involvement in designing and monitoring the educational program for students with mental disorders.
- Attend in-service or continuing education programs regarding children’s mental health and mental disorders.
- Teach parents about their educational rights and the rights of their child with mental disorders.
- Make timely referrals for students with possible mental disorders.
School Administration
- Conduct proactive outreach to identify students at high risk for developing mental disorders
- Collaborate with mental health professionals and advocacy organizations for classroom programs and crisis interventions, etc.
- Plan and use a crisis intervention team for each school. Their job is to address traumatic events in the community
- Develop administrative protocol for mental health crises. There should be one for suicide, including survivors of suicidal thoughts and/or attempts.
- Support staff in making of referrals.
- Establish policies to support involvement of students with mental disorders, their family members and guardians.
- Address issues of funding for appropriate services.
Mental Health Professionals
- Coordinate treatment across settings to encourage seamless care for children with mental disorders and their families.
- Educate families of children with mental disorders about their rights in medical and educational settings.
- Provide emotional support for the child with mental disorders and their family.
- Advocate for the best interests of the child with mental disorders in the school setting.
- Discuss confidentiality issues with the family of the child with mental disorders prior to beginning treatment.
- Abide by the profession’s code of ethics.
- Respect each child with a mental disorder and their family.
- Actively educate community members about mental disorders and treatment
Law Enforcement Officials
- Learn about the signs and symptoms of mental disorders in children and youth.
- Know where and how to access local resources with potential mental health concerns.
- While ensuring public/personal safety, respect dignity of children with mental disorders.
- Advocate for the presence of mental health workers at dispositional/placement hearings.
- Make referrals for children with possible mental disorders.
- Arrange for services for children with mental disorders in detention.
- Advocate for community-based services to avoid residential placements and recidivism for children with mental disorders.
- Collaborate with schools and families to plan and develop comprehensive services for children with mental disorders.
- Screen all supervisees for the presence of mental disorders.
- Provide individualized supervision for children with mental disorders. Use evidence-based practices for serving children with mental disorders.
Health Care Workers
- Provide the same quality of care to children with mental disorders and their families as those without mental disorders.
- Use effective interview techniques to screen for the presence of mental disorders in children.
- Gain and demonstrate competence with screening tools for mental disorders in children.
- Pursue a complete diagnostic workup for children who may have mental disorders.
- Follow up with any complaints by the child or family that may be related to mental disorders.
- Collaborate with parents, schools, and other treatment staff to plan and develop comprehensive services for children with mental disorders.
- Recognize the importance of counseling and other psychotherapy in combination with medical treatment for children with mental disorders.
Parents
- Promote an environment that nurtures and supports social and emotional well-being for you and your child.
- Know and advocate for your child’s rights in the school setting.
- Collaborate with health care workers, schools, and other treatment staff to plan and develop comprehensive services for your child.
- Know about and watch for signs of early-onset mental disorders in your children and adolescents, especially if you have a family history of mental disorders.
- Follow up on referrals for your child for diagnosis of mental disorders.
- Trust your skills as a parent in caring for your child.
- Participate in local children’s mental health advocacy organizations.
- Learn about treatment for mental disorders, including how to select a provider, your options and rights as a parent, and how to take action if your child’s needs are not being met.
Youth/Community Group Leaders
- Encourage volunteers in your group to attend education opportunities on mental disorders.
- Support planning anti-stigma campaigns by your group.
- Work together with agencies and families to promote services for children with mental disorders in your community.
- Host training sessions to teach volunteers about children’s mental disorders and mental health issues.
- Develop and support health relationships with children in your community.
- Encourage children to pursue their strengths and talents.
- Let community agencies know what your organization can do to include children with special needs, especially mental disorders.
- Sit on local boards and councils to increase accessibility to services for children with mental disorders.
This document was developed, in part, with funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the State of Idaho, and Idaho State University. However, the contents herein do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the State of Idaho or Idaho State University. The contents are the sole responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of any funding agency.
Last Modified: 07/17/09 at 10:00:13 AM