Telehealth for children involved in the child welfare system and their families in the United States: A scoping review

This scoping review aims to summarize the use of telehealth, including telehealth physical and mental health service utilization, for children involved in the child welfare system and their families in the United States, including the benefits and challenges of telehealth utilization, the feasibility, acceptability, and outcomes of telehealth, and training needs. We conducted literature searches in five databases and concluded that 16 articles met our inclusion criteria. Results highlight (1) the importance of maximizing the benefits/facilitators of telehealth and eliminating challenges/barriers associated with telehealth, (2) the need for further examining the feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness of telehealth on outcomes of children and families, and (3) the needs to provide continuous training to telehealth providers as well as foster parents and age-appropriate children.