Browsing by Author "Piatt, Carley"

Now showing 1 - 6 of 6
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    A case for collaborative practice: a longitudinal look at provincial support services for children (3 to 12 years) with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders in Alberta over six years
    (PolicyWise for Children & Families, 2019-07-19) Piatt, Carley; Bhatt, Hitesh; Cui, Xinjie
    Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) experience lifelong neurocognitive, behavioural, and physical challenges from prenatal alcohol exposure. This report profiled 1,055 Albertan children (3 to 12 years old) in 2005/06 that were diagnosed with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders between 2005/06 and 2010/11. Analyses examined these individuals’ sociodemographic characteristics and public service use patterns from 2005/06 to 2010/11. This report found that (1) 49% of profiled children required child intervention (to protect against abuse, neglect, or another risk) and also at least one other support service during the report period, (2) the overall pattern of support service delivery was similar for children with FASD throughout Alberta, and (3) a greater percentage of children diagnosed with FASD accessed mental health services and failed to meet or exceed educational expectations than those without FASD. These findings provide policy-relevant evidence that collaborative programming, resourcing, and planning may enhance service delivery and improve outcomes for children with FASD in Alberta.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    A profile of young Albertans with cerebral palsy
    (PolicyWise for Children & Families, 2019-01-18) O’Brien, Daniel; Werk, Christine; Piatt, Carley; Bhatt, Hitesh; Cui, Xinjie
    Cerebral palsy (CP) results in motor disorders and neurological abnormalities and is the leading cause of lifelong physical disability that begins in childhood. This report profiled 3,970 young Albertans (0 to 25 years old) with CP from 2005/06 to 2010/11. Analyses examined these individuals’ sociodemographic characteristics and public service use patterns. This report found that young Albertans with CP had less educational achievement, were less likely to have criminal justice involvement, were more likely to use social services, and were more likely to have chronic diseases than those without CP. The report also found that about half of young Albertans with CP received services from each available public disability support program. These findings provide policy-relevant evidence that public authorities may consider as they seek to better support children with CP. 
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Health, mental health and social service use in high-level offenders age 18 to 25 in Alberta
    (PolicyWise for Children & Families, 2019-07-19) Lifeso, Natasha; Scott, Allison; Piatt, Carley; Zhang, Yunqi; Cui, Xinjie
    A large proportion of crime is committed by a small number of prolific offenders. This report used administrative data to compare the service use of young Albertans (18 to 25 years old) with different levels of criminal offending using data from 2005/06 to 2009/10. Analyses examined these individuals’ sociodemographic characteristics and public service use patterns based on their total number of offences. This report found that there were 26,572 individuals between the ages of 18 to 25 years in 2005/06 who were charged with at least one offence between 2005/06 and 2009/10. This report further found that higher-level offenders were more likely to be high users of healthcare and provincial social systems and to experience other challenges, such as substance abuse and homelessness, than lower-level offenders. These findings provide evidence that a coordinated and collaborative approach to service-delivery between ministries may benefit young adults heavily involved with the justice system.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Mental health and social program usage: analyses for integrated mental health hubs
    (PolicyWise for Children & Families, 2019-07-19) Scott, Allison; Parker, Naomi; Salt, Valeri; Brown, Kyla; Piatt, Carley; Scott, Cathie; Cui, Xinjie
    In 2019, Alberta is creating integrated mental health hubs to support the well-being of youth. This report describes the proportion of youth (11 to 24 years old) between 2005/06 and 2010/11 who received mental health diagnostic codes in Alberta and their experiences with provincial services. This report found that (1) the proportion of youth who received diagnostic codes for a mental health condition was 20% overall, but highest (30%) in females 19-24 years old, (2) youth who received a mental health diagnostic code were more likely to have received services from a social program, be involved in the criminal justice system, and have indicators of substance abuse and self-harm behaviours, and (3) between 30% and 45% of older female youth with mental health diagnostic codes experienced pregnancy at least once during the report period. In addition, the report profiled specific service use information about three target community sites for the implementation of integrated mental health hubs. These findings provide policy-relevant evidence that public authorities may consider as they seek to better support children with mental health conditions and create integrated mental health hubs.
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Shared clients: health, mental health, and social characteristics of high users of the health, justice, and community and social support systems
    (PolicyWise for Children & Families, 2019-07-19) Scott, Allison; Lifeso, Natasha; Piatt, Carley; Zhang, Yunqi; Cui, Xinjie
    High users of multiple systems (sometimes called complex needs individuals) are a small proportion of the population that require a significant number of services. This report profiled young adults who are high users of multiple systems from 2005/06 to 2009/10 and followed them across time to determine their outcomes in 2010/11. Young adults that were in the top 10% of emergency department users, considered prolific offenders (5+ criminal offences), and received income support were described as ‘Shared Clients’. Analyses compared Shared Clients to young adults without these patterns. This report found that high users of multiple systems had more complex needs and were more likely to have negative outcomes over time. These findings provide evidence that a cooperative and integrative approach to service delivery between ministries and service providers may improve outcomes for shared clients. 
  • Thumbnail Image
    ItemOpen Access
    Youth homelessness: risk factors and outcomes
    (PolicyWise for Children & Families, 2019-07-19) Scott, Allison; Lifeso, Natasha; Piatt, Carley; Zhang, Yunqi; Cui, Xinjie
    Youth experiencing homelessness often face serious risks including victimization, substance abuse, poor nutrition, suicidality, and limited access to primary healthcare and other services. This report examined Alberta youth (14 to 17 years old) in 2005/06 to find (1) what social programs and medical codes in 2005/06 to 2006/07 preceded a homelessness diagnostic code in 2007/08 to 2010/11, and (2) what outcomes homeless youth (in 2005/06 to 2008/09) faced during 2009/10 to 2010/11. This report found that homeless youth were more likely to have many poor outcomes before their homelessness and to have many poor outcomes after experiencing youth homelessness. These outcomes were seen across systems (i.e., income support, health care, criminal, and education systems). These findings provide evidence that offering supports to homeless youth from multiple contact points, including health, education, and justice may improve their outcomes.