Public sector financing of community-based services for children with serious emotional disabilities and their families: results of a national survey.

This article presents the results of a survey of all state directors of mental health programs for children on the agreement with and use of financial policies and practices which promote home- and community-based mental health care for children and adolescents and their families. Whereas only five states reported the implementation of all the financial mechanisms feasible in their states, a majority of states reported the use of mechanisms such as federal funds, state resources and incentives, and flexible funds to encourage the development of community-based care. Results also indicated that states with a local form of government or local district or board that served as the local mental health authority tended to have more of the community-based financial practices in place than did states that contracted directly with providers at the local level.