The National Technical Assistance Center Approach 

The National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health enhances and strengthens the work of state, communities, tribes, and territories as they strive to achieve comprehensive mental health care for children and families.  System of care values and principles guide our work and support a broad view of mental health and a systemic approach to designing and delivering mental health care.

System of Care Framework

A Broad View of Mental Health

A Systemic Approach

System of Care Framework 

A system of care is a broad array of effective services and supports for children and adolescents with behavioral health disorders and their families that is organized into a coordinated network, integrates care planning and management across multiple levels, is culturally and linguistically competent, and builds meaningful partnerships with families and youth at service delivery, management, and policy levels.  (Pires, S.A. (2002) Building Systems of Care: A Primer)

The system of care framework is a set of values and organizing principles that guides the National Technical Assistance Center's approach in assisting states, tribes, territories and communities to build comprehensive, effective community service delivery systems for our most vulnerable children and their families.  The framework was initially articulated by Stroul and Friedman in A System of Care for Children With Severe Emotional Distrubance (1986) with the population of children with serious disorders in mind.  These values and core principles are now also being used to develop effective service delivery systems for all children who are at-risk of emotional and behavior problems, children in the custody of child welfare, and youth in the juvenile justice system.

Effective systems of care are built on three core values that must be shared by administrators and direct service providers.  These values assert that services should be: 

• Child centered and family focused;
•  Community-based; and
• Culturally and linguistically competent. 

These values are then guided into practice by ten principles that specify how services provided for children and families should be:

• Comprehensive, incorporating a broad array of services and supports;
• Individualized to the strengths and needs of the child and family and guided by an individualized service plan;
• Provided in the least restrictive appropriate settings;
• Involving families as full partners in all decisions;
• Coordinated at both the administrative and service delivery levels;
• Integrated as well as linked and coordinated through a designated care manager; and
• Emphasizing early identification and intervention.

These values and principles become the foundation of a community service delivery system that is thoughtfully planned, managed and operated to ensure positive outcomes for all vulnerable children and their families.  This framework has been revisited in light of evolving communities; changing services; and national, state, and local system reform efforts. 

Beth Stroul's 2002 issue brief, Systems of Care: A Framework for System Reform in Children's Mental Health, re-examines system reform in children's mental health,  clarifies the system of care concept, and explores the continued relevance of the system of care concept and philosophy as a framework for reform. Four questions are addressed: - 1) What kind of system reform is needed for children's mental health care? 2) What is the actual meaning of the system of care concept? 3) Why should we continue to use the system of care concept and philosophy as a framework for system reform in children's mental health? 4) How can we achieve our system reform goals in children's mental health.  For additional publications specific to system of care go to Products and Publications.

A Broad View of Mental Health

The National Technical Assistance Center is dedicated to a broad and inclusive view of mental health and a public health approach for supporting the mental health of all vulnerable children and their families.  Our approach encompasses promotion, prevention, and intervention including:

• Promotion of well-being, strenghthening resilience in children and families, and the prevention of mental health problems;
• Early intervention with young children at-risk and with children of all ages before emotional and behavior problems become severe; and
• Effective interventions with children and youth who have servious emotional disturbances.

A Systemic Approach

The National Technical Assistance Center approaches mental health services design and delivery from a systemic perspective and facilitates effective collaboration across family and child-serving agencies, schools, and community organizations in the public and private sectors.  We help put the "pieces" of complex state and community systems together so that solutions emerge as states and communities examine the "big picture".  We work at the federal, state, and local levels and encourage coordination across efforts.  We address the impact of decisions on children across disability groups and on families from diverse cultures.  We promote partnering with families and youth in all levels of decision-making and are committed to:

• Discovering new knowledge, seeking out and disseminating evidence-based and promising practices, sharing this knowledge, and advancing current thinking;
• Partnering with states, communities, tribes, and territories to apply cutting edge strategies; and
• Promoting strategic approaches that will strengthen and sustain the capacity of states, communities, tribes, and territories to improve outcomes for children and families.