Greetings, Network faithful. Okay, hold on to your hats, strap yourself in, and enjoy the ride with The Fearless Flyers performing their song, Running Man. All the musicians are incredible, but the drummer Nate Smith is next level. The transition to shuffle at about the 1:45 mark is epic. Enjoy the tune and then get to readin’ Friday Update, cuz we got work to do!

Most Important Reads of the Week

Talking to Children About the Election
Elections can be challenging for many people, regardless of where their beliefs are on the political spectrum. Research shows that anticipating future stress related to political elections can affect people’s emotional well-being before anything has even happened. During this transition time, you may have difficulty coping with the uncertainty of what is to come. Children can feel this stress, too. They may need your guidance to effectively manage their emotions, cope with friends who think differently than they do, and respond to comments they disagree with or find upsetting. You can help by listening to them, modeling thoughtful and respectful behavior, and providing them lots of love and security.

HHS Releases New National Guidelines for Improving Youth Mental Health Crisis Care
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), today released a new report, National Guidelines for Child and Youth Behavioral Health Crisis Care, which describes the urgent need to improve crisis response services for children, youth, and families and provides guidance on how communities can address the existing gaps in care for youth. Read the full SAMHSA press release here.

Expanded Safety Net Drives Drop in Child Poverty
With little public notice and accelerating speed, child poverty fell by 59 percent from 1993 to 2019, according to a comprehensive new analysis showing increased government aid’s critical role.

How Climate Change Affects Children’s Health
Every day, pediatricians see how climate change affects children’s physical and mental health. When pediatricians talk with parents about what’s good for their kids, part of their job is connecting the dots between climate change and their child’s health. Another great read from healthychildren.org.

Ferocious Tiger: Gun Violence Prevention
Excellent 15 second PSA from Northwell Health in New York on the importance of locking up guns in the home. I hope this inspires similar creativity in addressing the importance of gun safety across our readership. Thanks to Cynthia Joyce from MQ Mental Health Research for sharing!

Daylight Saving Time: Don’t Lose Sleep Over It
Daylight saving time means more sunlight during the hours most of us are awake. But setting the clock forward or back can also cause sleep issues that make for many cranky kids and groggy teens. Fortunately, there are ways to help your child get back and track and get the sleep their growing bodies need.

Request for Proposals Addressing Transformation of Mental Health Care
The Klingenstein Third Generation Foundation announces the opening of applications for its Transformation of Mental Health Care Request for Proposals. The Foundation is soliciting proposals from academic researchers focused on transforming mental and behavioral health care that improves outcomes for children and adolescents. Applications due January 13, 2023.

Special Education Downloadable Resources
Thanks to our friends at Collectively for introducing us to one of their “go-to” resources. Download free resources from the Family Network on Disabilities to help children maximize their IEP and understanding the special education system.

Documentary: Can You Punish a Child’s Mental Health Problems Away?
This short film provides updated information on the “troubled teen industry.” Spread across the country, this array of boot camps, wilderness therapy programs, therapeutic boarding schools, and residential treatment centers is supposed to help children with mental health and behavioral issues through a mix of therapy and tough love. In reality, some of these organizations cause harm to some of the children they purport to be treating because of a reliance on archaic tactics, a lack of oversight and regulation, and a focus on maximizing profit.

Justice-Involved and Emerging Adult Populations (JEAP) Fall Newsletter is Now Available
Check out the fall newsletter of the JEAP Initiative, with updates on new studies, a Postdoctoral Fellowship, and more!

How Health Care Organizations Are Preparing for Climate Shocks and Protecting Vulnerable Patients
As the climate crisis intensifies, healthcare organizations have a critical role in protecting the most vulnerable. The latest issue of Transforming Care profiles hospitals and safety-net clinics working to make their operations and communities more climate resilient. In addition to helping patients cope with the health effects of a changing climate, these providers are building systems to fill treatment gaps during disasters and creating community hubs that go beyond emergency shelters.

American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) Children Are Overrepresented in Foster Care in States With the Largest Proportions of AIAN Children
In the ten states with the largest proportions of American Indian and Alaska Native (AIAN) children,[1] AIAN children are overrepresented in foster care in nearly every state when comparing their percentages in the foster care and total child populations (see figure below). Of these ten states, the percentage of AIAN children in foster care was highest in South Dakota, Alaska, and North Dakota; and lowest in Arizona, Oregon, and Nebraska. These findings are derived from federal fiscal year 2020 data, the most recent year available.

Research Update: Peer Support for Youth and Young Adults
This brief report summarizes recently-published research on peer support for youth and young adults who experience serious mental health conditions.

Thousands of Kids Lost Loved Ones to the Pandemic. Psychologists Are Teaching Them How to Grieve, and Then Thrive
At least 204,000 U.S. children and teens have lost parents and other in-home caregivers to COVID-19—more than 1 in every 360 youth, according to COVID Collaborative, an interdisciplinary group of experts raising awareness and support for COVID-bereaved children. The growing number of children facing these tragedies highlights the pressing need for clinicians to become versed in helping them cope and ultimately lead fulfilling lives, say those who study and treat these youth. Basic clinical skills can go a long way, but because childhood grief is not a big focus in graduate school training, getting extra education in the area could be helpful.

Why Childhood Anxiety Often Goes Undetected (and the Consequences)
All kids worry sometimes. But when worry makes it hard for them to participate in daily life, they may have an anxiety disorder. Because anxiety often affects a child’s thoughts and feelings more than it affects their behavior, it can be hard to spot. It’s also possible for a child to be generally happy but still so anxious that it interferes with some aspect of their life, like school or socializing.