Children’s Mental Health Coalition Introduces Bill of Rights for Families
Living With Mental Illnesses


The Bill of Rights:

1.        Treatment must be family-driven and child-focused.  Families and youth, (when
appropriate), must have a primary decision-making role in their treatment.

2.        Children should receive care in home and community-based settings as close to
home as possible.

3.        Mental health services are an integral part of a child’s overall healthcare.  
Insurance companies must not discriminate against children with mental illnesses by
imposing financial burdens and barriers to treatment, such as differential deductibles, co-
pays, annual or lifetime caps, or arbitrary limits on access to medically necessary inpatient
and/or outpatient services.

4.        Children should receive care from highly-qualified professionals who are acting in
the best interest of the child and family, with appropriate informed consent.

5.        Parents and children are entitled to as much information as possible about the
risks and benefits of all treatment options, including anticipated outcomes.

6.        Children receiving medications for mental disorders should be monitored
appropriately to optimize the benefit and reduce any risks or potential side effects which
may be associated with such treatments.

7.        Children and their families should have access to a comprehensive continuum of
care, based on their needs, including a full range of psychosocial, behavioral,
pharmacological, and educational services, regardless of the cost.

8.        Children should receive treatment within a coordinated system of care where all
agencies (e.g., health, mental health, child welfare, juvenile justice, and schools, etc.)
delivering services work together to support recovery and optimize treatment outcome.

9.        Children and families are entitled to an increased investment in high-quality
research on the origin, diagnosis, and treatment of childhood disorders.

10.        Children and families need and deserve access to mental health professionals
with appropriate training and experience.  Primary care professionals providing mental
health services must have access to consultation and referral resources from qualified
mental health professionals.
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To interview a child and adolescent psychiatrist about this bill of rights, please contact
AACAP’s     Communications Coordinator, Adam Lowe, at 202-966-7300, ext. 154 or
alowe@aacap.org.