Mental Health Navigation for Foster Care Youth

(FCFN Trial)

Overseen By Lakshmi Gopalakrishnan, MSc

Age: < 18

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: University of California, San Francisco

Disqualifiers: Non-English speaking, Impaired caregiver, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: Unknown

Duration: 6 weeks

124 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

This study will focus on developing and testing a family-based mental health navigator intervention, the Foster Care Family Navigator (FCFN), to evaluate whether the intervention combined with mHealth would be efficacious in improving mental health service initiation and engagement for child welfare-involved youth.

Research Team

Marina Tolou-Shams, Ph.D

Principal Investigator

UC San Francisco

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for English-speaking youth aged 12-17 who are involved in the San Francisco child welfare system and have a caregiver able to give consent. Participants must be open to services from SF DPH Foster Care Mental Health Clinic and have mobile phone access. Those without an English-speaking ability or with caregivers unable to consent due to impairment are excluded.

Inclusion Criteria

I am between 12 and 17 years old.

I am a young person who speaks English.

Family has mobile phone access

Exclusion Criteria

Caregiver has impairment that would preclude providing informed consent

Unavailable guardian for consent

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Wait-list Period

Participants receive standard of care engagement practices and services-as-usual

4-8 weeks

Treatment

Family-based navigator intervention combined with mHealth practices to improve mental health treatment initiation and engagement

6 weeks

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for mental health service initiation and engagement post-treatment

12 months

Treatment Details

Interventions

• Family-based mental health navigation
• Standard of care engagement practices

Trial Overview The study tests a new approach called the Foster Care Family Navigator (FCFN), which uses family-based mental health navigation combined with mobile health technology, aiming to improve how young people start and continue with mental health services.

Participant Groups

Group I: Family-based mental health navigation Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Family-based navigator intervention combined with mHealth practices to improve mental health treatment initiation and engagement

Group II: Standard of care, then family-based mental health navigation Active Control 2 Interventions

During wait-list period receive standard of care engagement practices and services-as-usual, and after the wait-list period the participants receive the family-based navigator intervention combined with mHealth practices

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

University of California, San Francisco

Lead Sponsor

Trials

2,636

Recruited

19,080,000+

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Collaborator

Trials

3,007

Recruited

2,852,000+