Recommendations Focus on Prevention and Treatment of Child Sex Abuse

DOVER – A special committee charged by the General Assembly with assessing child mental health services in Kent and Sussex County, with a focus on child victims of sexual assault, delivered its findings and recommendations today. The recommendations include the recruitment of new mental health professionals to Sussex County, training for clinicians in detection and treatment of trauma in children, and improved case management of mental health services for children.

The committee, formed by House Joint Resolution #7 in August, 2011, was chaired by Lieutenant Governor Matthew Denn and included input from social service and law enforcement agencies, school district officials, legislators, child mental health experts, and advocates for children with disabilities.

“The recommendations we are making today are targeted, specific, and manageable,” said Lieutenant Governor Denn. “The result if these recommendations are implemented will be more prompt and effective mental health services for all children in Kent and Sussex County, and quicker and more effective intervention for children who are the victims of sexual abuse.”

The recommendations include:

• Specific recommendations for recruitment of two new child psychiatrists to Sussex County, and recommendations for a new collaborative service approach for those psychiatrists with family doctors and pediatricians.
• A recommendation for new training for mental health professionals working with children in Kent and Sussex Counties, focused on early detection and treatment of trauma.
• Recommendations regarding secure funding for the Children’s Advocacy Center’s case managers, and creation of a Kent/Sussex County case manager for child trauma victims who are not treated through the Children’s Advocacy Center.
• A request for a formal review of the child mental health networks made available by the state’s private and public health insurance carriers, to ensure that those networks are large enough that children are not being subjected to unreasonable travel or waiting periods for mental health services.

A full list of the committee’s recommendations is included in the attached report, which includes a summary of recommendations.

Throughout the committee’s recommendations, it emphasizes the importance of providing services targeted at Kent and Sussex County’s growing Spanish-speaking community.

“I would like to thank the members of this study group for the time they invested in preparing this report,” Lieutenant Governor Denn said. “Through a great deal of collaboration and hard work, they prepared a comprehensive and thoughtful set of recommendations in a very short period of time.”

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