The NPR (1/2, Herman) “Shots” blog reports, “Two-thirds of states don’t keep track of how many families give up custody to help the child get mental health services.” However, research “by the Government Accountability Office found that back in 2001, more than 12,000 families in 19 states did exactly that.” Advocates for people with mental illness “blame decades of inadequate funding for in-home and community-based services across the country – a lack of funding that has chipped away at the mental health system.” The article follows the story of one family’s heartbreaking decision to help their child.
Related Links:
— “To Get Mental Health Help For A Child, Desperate Parents Relinquish Custody, “Christine Herman, NPR, January 02, 2019