National Evaluation
The Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), the federal agency within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), US Department of Health and Human Services, provides grants for the improvement and expansion of systems of care to meet the needs of the estimated 4.5-6.3 million children nationwide with serious emotional disturbances and their families. States, communities, Territories, Indian tribes, and tribal organizations are eligible for the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program, which was first authorized in 1993. Since then, CMHS has funded 130 grantees across the country. Currently, there are 63.
The Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health (TA Partnership) is contracted through CMHS to provide support to funded sites in their efforts to successfully develop and implement systems of care. The TA Partnership works in collaboration with CMHS Program Partners, including the American Institutes for Research, National Indian Child Welfare Association, Vanguard Communications, National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors, Macro International, Inc. and the Georgetown National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health.
In order to maintain accountability and address the pressing need for information upon which to guide funding and policy-making at the federal and state levels, CMHS has funded a national cross-site evaluation since 1994. Macro International Inc. and Walter R. McDonald & Associates, Inc. conducts the national evaluation and works closely with several partners:
- The Department of Child & Family Studies at the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida, provides Logic Modeling supports to the program and funded communities, supports System of Care Practice Reviews, analyzes national evaluation data, and consults on program evaluation.
- The Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health conducts evaluation training for family members, provides input on the process and outcomes of the program evaluation with a specific emphasis on how the evaluation results can be utilized at the individual community level to strengthen families. In addition, the Federation and Macro collaborate on the implementation of a family-driven research study.
National Evaluation Questions:
- How do systems of care develop according to system of care principles (e.g., family driven and youth guided, culturally competent, interagency collaboration) over time?
- In what ways does funding accelerate system development?
- What are the service utilization patterns (specific services, treatments, and supports) for children and families in systems of care and what are the associated costs?
- How cost-effective are systems of care over time?
- Who are the children and families served by the program and by the funded communities?
- Does the served population change over time as systems of care mature?
- To what extent do children's clinical and functional outcomes improve over time?
- How are family outcomes affected?
- How are changes in child, family, and system outcomes associated with efforts to implement and develop systems of care?
- To what extent are child & family experiences consistent with the system-of-care philosophy
- How satisfied are children and families with the services they receive?
- To what extent are family members and youth involved in systems of care?
- To what extent do specific evidence-based interventions enhance positive outcomes among children and families, including prevention of substance abuse among children receiving services in systems of care?
- To what extent are systems of care able to sustain themselves after federal funding has ended?
- What factors facilitate or impede sustainability?