20.1 Definition and Criteria for Placement
It may, on occasion, be necessary to place a child who is in the custody of the Children’s Division (CD) in a private psychiatric hospital or a general hospital which offers inpatient psychiatric services. Such a placement should be limited to situations where a child needs the diagnostic and treatment services that only a psychiatric hospital can provide. The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry issued a policy statement in June 1989 which provides the following basic guidelines for psychiatric hospital admission:
- The child has a psychiatric disorder which is of such severity as to cause significant impairment of daily functioning in at least two (2) important areas of his/her life, i.e., school performance, social interactions, or family relationships;
- The treatment proposed is relevant to the problems diagnosed and adjudged likely to benefit the child; and
- Other available less restrictive treatment resources must have been considered and determined to be not available or not appropriate to the child's needs or have been attempted and proven unsuccessful.
If a child is in psychiatric crisis, or in cases where the child has already been hospitalized, the Children’s Service Worker should consult with appropriate supervisory staff immediately to determine if the child is a potential candidate for psychiatric hospitalization.