By Elaine Korry
Since 2008, federal law has required child welfare agencies to report on how they monitor psychiatric medication use in foster care. A directive in 2011 also required all states to spell out the steps they’re taking to curb over-reliance on medication.
Although there is no national data clearinghouse on these efforts, the Center for Health Care Strategies (CHCS), a New Jersey nonprofit resource center, has been monitoring reforms in a number of states. So far none has taken quite the comprehensive approach adopted by lawmakers in California, but some states have taken a leadership role in specific parts of the puzzle, according to Kamala D. Allen, the director of child health quality at CHCS…