Statewide Quality Assurance Report

Florida Department of Children and FamiliesCase Management Services - 2009-2010 Quality Assurance ReportAppropriate services must also be obtained to address the child's physical health needs. Thisapplies to all children in out-of-home care and for children residing at home when the physicalhealth issue is relevant to the agency's reason for involvement. Child health records must be upto date and included in the case file, to the extent they are available and accessible; case plansmust address heath care needs; caregivers must be provided with the child’s health records(Child Resource Record), to the extent they are available and accessible; and, health recordsmust include the names of the child’s health care providers, a record of the child’simmunizations, child’s known medical problems, child’s medications, and any other relevanthealth information. This includes efforts to address the child’s dental health needs once theneeds are identified. If a child is Medicaid eligible, these services should be obtained through aMedicaid provider. If a child is not Medicaid eligible, these services must still be provided. Thechild’s dental records should be up to date and included in the case file to the extent availableand accessible; case plans must address the issue of dental care needs; and, caregivers must beprovided the child’s dental records to the extent they are available or accessible.Finally, services must be provided to address the child’s mental/behavioral health needs.These services may include screenings and diagnostic tests to determine finite or long termneeds. National research underscores the importance of providing services to address theseneeds. A 2010 report published by the National Center for Children in Poverty states “Childrenyounger than three years of age are the most likely of all children to be involved with childwelfare services and children three and younger who have been maltreated are subsequently atrisk for experiencing developmental delays. Maltreatment in children younger than 3 years ofage has been found to be associated with concurrent gross and fine motor delays, failure tothrive, heightened arousal to negative emotions, speech and language delays, and hypervigilance. Age of the first episode of maltreatment is associated with mental health problems inadulthood. For example, maltreatment at age 2 to 5 has been linked with anti-social personalitydisorder by age 29. Younger ages of onset (birth to 2) were associated with depression andother internalizing disorders by age 40.” (National Center for Children in Poverty, Addressingthe Mental Health Needs of Young Children in the Child Welfare System: What EveryPolicymaker Should Know, Janice L. Cooper, Patti Banghart, and Yumiko Aratani, September2010).The 2008 Florida CFSR noted that Florida’s performance on meeting the physical healthneeds and mental health needs of the children was an area needing improvement. The FloridaOffice of Family Safety | Page 18