Collaboration for children with complex needs: What adolescents, parents, and practitioners tell us

Abstract

Children with complex needs require coordinated care and collaboration between the different sectors in child mental health care. These needs and service issues are individually defined and therefore challenging for the mental health system to respond effectively. Different barriers at the organizational and policy level to initiate and maintain collaborative relationships are reported. This research explores the reality of working with a protocol for collaboration (Client Network Consultation (CNC)) by questioning the experiences of adolescents, parents, and practitioners. A qualitative design with semistructured individual interviews is used, guided by the questions from the Wraparound Fidelity Index. Useful and practical insights on effective collaboration result from the in-depth analysis of the interviews. A neutral chairperson, the presence of specialist practitioners, visualization, participation of adolescents, and parents are among the effective elements reported. Some challenges remain; the principle of equality, monitoring the action points resulting from the collaboration and effective crisis management seem very difficult to fully achieve in practice. These results present experiences from adolescents, parents, and practitioners to support an effective collaborative process for working together with children and families with complex needs.