[Need for child welfare care after inpatient child and adolescent psychiatric treatment]

New research confirms the high prevalence of mental disorders among children and adolescents in the setting of child welfare services. This study examines the need for child welfare care subsequent to inpatient child and adolescent psychiatric treatment.

We analysed the basic documentation of the patients in the years 2001 to 2005 in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Würzburg, with regard to the indication of need for or the implementation of child welfare services. Moreover, we examined which factors will vary the risk of need for child welfare services.

Nearly 50% of all inpatient children and adolescents had an indicated need for child welfare service; these services, however, were directly implemented for only half this number. And of those, more than every third procedure involved residential care. Early onset of the mental disorder, abnormal situation of the parents, external mental disorder, and a high rate of psychosocial risk factors increase the risk for child welfare services.