The aim of this paper is to examine some of the factors that facilitate and hinder
interagency collaboration between child protection services and mental health services
in cases where there is a parent with a mental illness and there are protection concerns
for the child(ren). The paper reports on agency practices, worker attitudes and experiences,
and barriers to effective collaboration.
A self-administered, cross-sectional survey was developed and distributed via direct
mail or via line supervisors to workers in statutory child protection services, adult
mental health services, child and youth mental health services, and Suspected Child
Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) Teams. There were 232 completed questionnaires returned,
with an overall response rate of 21%. Thirty-eight percent of respondents were statutory
child protection workers, 39% were adult mental health workers, 16% were child and
youth mental health workers, and 4% were SCAN Team medical officers (with 3% missing
data).
Analysis revealed that workers were engaging in a moderate amount of interagency contact,
but that they were unhappy with the support provided by their agency. Principle components
analysis and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) on items assessing attitudes
toward other workers identified four factors, which differed in rates of endorsement:
inadequate training, positive regard for child protection workers, positive regard
for mental health workers, and mutual mistrust (from highest to lowest level of endorsement).
The same procedure identified the relative endorsement of five factors extracted from
items about potential barriers: inadequate resources, confidentiality, gaps in interagency
processes, unrealistic expectations, and professional knowledge domains and boundaries.
Mental health and child protection professionals believe that collaborative practice
is necessary; however, their efforts are hindered by a lack of supportive structures
and practices at the organizational level.