Children’s Mental Health System

It is striking that all of the debate around the changes in the Ventura County Behavioral Health Department Systems of Care has focused on the impact to services for the adult mentally ill although the department also includes the drug and alcohol program and the children’s mental health system. The controversy has focused primarily on administrative problems. There has been little discussion about programs and policies that work.

As a professional social worker in the children’s mental health system, it has been my experience that the programs in place greatly benefit the children and families we serve. We have a system of care in place in Ventura that has become nationally recognized.

This system has worked because the agencies (mental health, schools, probation and child protective services) were able to put together a coordinated system of care for children. They translate to quality services to children.

When I read the papers, I’m left with the distinct impression that social workers, psychiatrists and psychologists are pitted against each other in some kind of bizarre professional warfare. Fortunately, this has not been my experience. In the Children’s Mental Health system where I work, psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers routinely consult with each other about difficult cases.

Ventura County has retained a high caliber of mental health professionals as a direct result of the innovative programs and high standard for quality care. When professionals leave the agency, it is not easy to fill positions with an equally qualified person. As I have traveled through the state in my role with the National Assn. of Social Workers, I have become aware of how well Ventura County is known and how much we have to appreciate here.

I am concerned that the political infighting is going to harm a good system of care. I believe that Ventura’s children deserve the best treatment possible. Our programs have grown and expanded in the nine years I’ve worked for the county. I hope to continue to be part of an agency that is known for its innovative treatment programs for children.

DEBORAH ALLEN, Ventura