The Role of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist in Systems of Care.

To effectively fulfill various roles in systems of care, a child and adolescent psychiatrist must first define "system of care" and become familiar with the child-serving systems that make up the overarching system of care. They should know what roles are currently being fulfilled by child and adolescent psychiatrists, recognize the challenges they may face while fulfilling these roles, and use this knowledge to become catalysts for system improvements. This article discusses these points in greater detail.