Impact of Team Structure on Achieving Treatment Goals in a System of Care

Abstract

Although some evidence suggests that providing treatment via service coordination teams is related to improved outcomes among youth in a system of care, the aspects of team structure that contribute to treatment effectiveness are not well understood.This study draws on team membership and attendance data to identify and describe the structure of service coordination teams in the Dawn Project, a system-of-care initiative in Indianapolis, Indiana.This analysis examines three dimensions of team structure—size, form, and role composition—as well as the effect of these dimensions on the young people's program disposition.The results suggest that service coordination teams are most likely to be effective in achieving the team's treatment goals when they consist of four to eight members and include the youth and multiple family members. More generally,the findings underline the importance of considering team structure as an important force in shaping the effectiveness of service coordination programs and the potential utility of social network methods for studying these effects.The implications for management of service coordination teams and for future research on service coordination teams are discussed.ERIC R. WRIGHT, PhD, is an associate professor in the School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University—Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), and director of health policy at the Center for Urban Policy and the Environment. His current interests include health policy, HIV/AIDS prevention, and mental health and social services for adults and children with serious mental health challenges. LISA A. RUSSELL, PhD, is associate director of research for ETR Associates. Her current interests include child maltreatment, domestic violence, and mental health. JEFFREY A. ANDERSON, PhD, is the director of the Center for Urban and Multicultural Education and an associate professor and area coordinator for special education programs in the School of Education at IUPUI. His current research interests include creating models of school-based interagency collaboration to improve prevention and early intervention of emotional and behavioral challenges in students. HAROLD E. KOOREMAN, MA, currently conducts research in health policy and wraparound services for children at the Center for Urban Policy and the Environment. DUSTIN E. WRIGHT, MS, conducts research in health policy, mental health services for adults and children with serious mental illness, and HIV/AIDS prevention at the Center for Urban Policy and the Environment. Address: Eric R. Wright, School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University—Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), BS 4059, 801 W. Michigan St., Indianapolis, IN 46202; e-mail: ewright@iupui.edu