Date of Conferral
2022
Degree
Ph.D.
School
Public Policy and Administration
Advisor
Melanie Smith
Abstract
Caregivers often experience increased stress when raising children who have a mental illness. Awareness of the various challenges caregivers face enables the offering of improved support. The Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act of 2016 (HR2646) improves and raises the profile of mental health within the government chart. This qualitative phenomenological study was guided by questions aimed at identifying caregiver perceptions of The Act and understanding caregiver input and opinions on the impact of this policy. Howlett’s five stream framework of the policy process and Kingdon’s multiple streams model provide the theoretical framework for this study. Individual telephonic interviews were conducted with ten caregivers. The collected data were analyzed through coding and the development of themes to determine the findings of this study. The findings determined that emerging themes such as a lack of funding can be erased through this current policy and areas of lack met. The findings of this study provide awareness for policymakers and help inform more effective public policy by identifying opportunities for improvement based on caregiver lived experiences. This study positively impacts social change by providing insight into areas of potential improvement for public policy regarding children’s mental health services.
Recommended Citation
Chigewe, Odinakachi, "Caregiver Perceptions of the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act" (2022). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 13264.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/13264
