MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIR

The Honorable Christopher K. Peace, Virginia House of Delegates
It is my pleasure as Chair of the General Assembly’s Commission on Youth to welcome you to our website. The Commission on Youth is tasked with providing a forum for review and study of youth policies and services. Whether you are a member or staff of the General Assembly, a government official, service provider, educator, parent or caregiver, or interested member of the public, you will find this website a wonderful resource on the Commission’s work on a host of issues, from child welfare to juvenile justice, or from mental health to education.

Children matter to policymakers in Virginia. Almost 2 million young people age 0-18 live in our state. This number represents almost 25% of our state’s population. Correspondingly, a significant percentage of our state budget goes directly to services for these youth and their families. Given the size of this population and the breadth of special needs associated with young people and their families, Virginia is fortunate to have the Commission on Youth to provide guidance and leadership on youth policy issues. I encourage you to familiarize yourself with our work and to let us know whenever we can be of assistance to your child, family or community.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The Commission on Youth has elected Delegate Christopher K. Peace as new Chair. Senator Harry B. Blevins will serve as Vice Chair.

The first meeting of the Commission's Advisory Group for the Study of the Comparison of Academic Achievement in Virginia with Leading Industrialized Countries will be convened Wednesday, May 9 at 1:00 p.m. in the 6th Floor Speaker's Conference Room, General Assembly Building.  The meeting is open to the public. 

The Commission will hold its first meeting of the 2012 Study Year on Monday, May 14 at 9:00 a.m. in House Room D, General Assembly Building. (Please note rescheduled date and changed meeting time.) Included in the agenda items will be review and consideration of draft study plans.   

Collection of Evidence-based Practices for Children and Adolescents with Mental Health Treatment Needs, 4th Edition Published 2011

Thanks to the leadership of the General Assembly's Division of Legislative Automated Systems (DLAS), visitors to this site have available not only a user-friendly, well-designed presentation of information about the Commission on Youth, but also access the newly-released Collection in its entirety.  In addition, web readers can use the new SEARCH feature to locate all documents related to a particular mental health disorder on the Commission's website.

Launched on-line as a chapter-by-chapter document on October 20, 2010, the Collection is now published as House Document 9 (2010).  First published in 2003 and - by mandate - updated biennially, the Collection summarizes current research on mental health treatments shown to be effective for youth.  It is designed, by mandate, for widespread dissemination as a web document. Compiled with the assistance of Virginia mental health and other professionals who work with youth, it serves a broad readership: educators, service providers, parents, caregivers and others seeking information on mental health treatments for youth. 

Readers will find directions to accessing and printing the full document on Collection's Contents page.  Organizations needing copies in quantity may contact the Commission at coymail@vcoy.virginia.gov. Chapters are updated periodically and the Commission welcomes feedback and suggestions at any time.