The threat to children’s mental health from proposed federal budget cuts: A commentary on protecting policies and programs that promote collective efficacy

摘要

Children stand to lose by proposed budgetary cuts to the federal safety net via threats to critical policies that have long supported families and communities. While cuts directly targeting children’s mental health are a great concern, less publicized but equally disturbing are proposed cuts to policies that indirectly affect children, but directly affect their families and communities, specifically that support health, housing, education, and family income. The importance of these services is supported by an extensive body of social learning research that promotes collective efficacy – neighbors positively influencing each other – which has been shown to have positive long-term impacts on children’s ongoing development and adult outcomes. In this paper, we suggest a cross-system approach to promote policies and programs in health, mental health, education, welfare/social services, and juvenile justice systems as a viable strategy to strengthen families and communities and promote collective efficacy. The overall goal is to advance a comprehensive, national mental health policy for children that enhances collaboration across systems and strengthens families and communities, which is especially critical for children living in marginalized communities.