New Horizons for Systems of Care 

The biennial Training Institutes offer an opportunity to obtain in-depth, practical information on how to develop and operate community based systems of care and how to provide high-quality, effective clinical interventions, services, and supports within the system of care framework. The Institutes are designed for a variety of individuals including state, tribal, territorial, and local administrators, planners, providers, clinicians, care managers, families, youth, advocates, managed care organizations, educators, evaluators, technical assistance providers, and others concerned with improving services for children and families.

The 2010 Institutes will focus on providing effective clinical interventions, services, and supports and measuring performance to assess the outcomes of these practices for children, adolescents, and their families. Specific topics may include "how-to" training on:

  • Effective, evidence-informed services and supports for children and youth with mental health challenges and their families
  • Effective, evidence-informed services and supports for specific populations, including: early childhood; transition-age youth; youth involved with the child welfare, juvenile justice, or education systems; youth with co-occurring substance abuse and mental health challenges or developmental disabilities and mental health challenges
  • Approaches for implementing family driven, youth-guided services and supports and for engaging families and youth in selecting effective, evidence informed services and supports
  • Approaches for adapting effective, evidence-informed services and supports for culturally diverse populations
  • Approaches for implementing state, tribal, territorial, and local policies that support and sustain the use of effective, evidence-informed services and supports
  • Approaches for financing to support and sustain the use of effective, evidence informed services and supports
  • Approaches for providing pre-service and in-service training, technical assistance, and coaching for providers in effective, evidence-informed services and supports
  • Approaches for implementing and monitoring the fidelity of effective, evidence-informed services and supports
  • Approaches for evaluating the effectiveness of services and supports and measuring outcomes for children and families
     

Types of Sessions

Proposals are sought for five types of sessions:

  • Institutes—Three-and-half-hour training sessions that present an integrated training experience. Faculty generally includes no more than four individuals.
  • Workshops—One-and-a-half-hour sessions. Faculty generally includes no more than two individuals.
  • Poster Presentations—Highlight promising approaches through displays and discussion with participants in an informal setting.
  • Track on Services in Native American Communities—Institutes, workshops, and poster presentations specific to services and supports in Native American communities.
  • Youth Leadership Track—One-and-a-half hour sessions on a wide range of topics that provide training for youth to develop the knowledge and skills needed to become effective leaders and advocates (not limited to above topics).
     

Review Criteria

Proposals must be submitted for review no later than November 13, 2009. Notification of the results of the review process will occur in February 2010. All proposals should:

  • Reflect the core values of the system of care philosophy
  • Reflect effective, evidence-informed practices that have demonstrated positive outcomes
  • Focus on practical, “how to” information on approaches that can be applied in participants’ home communities
  • Specify clear learning objectives and learning approaches designed to effectively engage participants
  • Address family and youth partnerships as appropriate to the topic
  • Address cultural and linguistic competence and disparities as appropriate to the topic
  • Include faculty with expertise appropriate to the topic including family members and/or youth as faculty 
     

Faculty Policies

All faculty members and poster presenters must be registered participants at the Training Institutes. Faculty for Institutes and Workshops will receive a discounted registration fee. Poster presenters are responsible for the full registration fee. All faculty members and poster presenters are responsible for their own travel and hotel costs. Limited scholarship assistance will be available to assist faculty with these costs, based on a determination of need. Priority for scholarship assistance will be given to family and youth faculty members. All faculty members and poster presenters are eligible to apply for continuing education credits for their participation at the Training Institutes.
 

HOW TO RESPOND TO THE CALL FOR PROPOSALS

All proposals MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY to the National Technical Assistance Center for Children’s Mental Health NO LATER THAN NOVEMBER 13, 2009. No proposals will be accepted after the due date.

Please note that only online proposals will be considered.

Please download and complete the Call for Proposals Submittal Form fully and email it as an attachment to Institutes2010@aol.com. Forms that are partially completed will not be considered. Applicants will be notified of the status of their proposal in February 2010.

The Call for Proposals is available in Spanish

La solicitud para propuestas está disponible en español

For questions or assistance, e-mail Institutes2010@aol.com or call the National Technical Assistance Center for Children’s Mental Health at 202-687-5479.