Behavioral Health Diagnoses and Treatment Services for Children Involved with the Child Welfare System

This research brief uses claims data from the Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Programs to examine the behavioral health diagnoses and treatment services received by children and youth involved with the child welfare system in 2019. Nationally, more than 40 percent of children involved with the child welfare system -- including children and youth in foster care as well as those who had exited foster care to homes of adoptive parents or guardians -- had been diagnosed with behavioral health conditions and these children used substantially more behavioral health services than other children and youth on Medicaid or the Children's Health Insurance Program. Those with behavioral health diagnoses usually received some behavioral health treatment; outpatient mental health services and psychotropic medications were especially common. However, use of psychotropic medications varied widely by state.

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