About one-third of the children are DCF clients.
DCF payments provide about one-half of the clinics' budgets.
Community-based services, Blau says, are at the heart of the proposed changes to the state's children's mental health system, which are currently in the planning stages. That system is evolving in response to recent criticism from several quarters. They have advised DCF in its planning for the new system and should continue to play a large, and potentially an expanded, role in that system. The current DCF system addresses children with serious emotional disturbance who are at risk of being placed out of their homes. The system is also designed to help families when more than one public agency is involved.