Summary

The information in this book has been compiled for parents of children with emotional and behavioral disabilities who receive treatment and services from agencies in the community and for all parents whose children become involved with the juvenile court. The primary purpose of this resource is to explain how information is kept and shared by community agencies and organizations that provide services to children and families. A second purpose is to provide parents with the information they need to play an active role in decisions about how their children will be treated, both in court and in the community. We encourage parents to do the following:

1. Advocate for your child. Be involved in what is happening to your child, participate in all meetings that involve your child, and use every means possible to obtain the best and most appropriate treatment and services for your child.

2. Understand how service systems operate. Ask questions and use the resources that are available to you and your child. If you don’t understand the system, the process that is being followed, or the services that are being recommended, ask questions until you do. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.

3. As much as possible, control and contribute to the information agencies keep and share about your child. Know what information will be important to people who make decisions about treatment and services for your child. Whenever possible, make sure your know what information is in any record about your child and take action to ensure that the information is accurate and complete. Be sure that records reflect the positive things about your child, not just the negative.

4. Be objective about your child. Finding genuine solutions to a child’s problem behaviors is difficult. Understand that achieving positive changes in your child’s behaviors may require you and other members of your family to make changes in your behaviors as well. Being well informed is the best way a parent can help a child.