OpportunityTitle: Statewide Family Network Grant
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: Eligible Applicants    Eligible applicants are domestic public and private nonprofit entities, including faith-based entities, tribal family organizations, and family run non-profit organizations in States where there is currently not a funded Statewide Family Network because SAMHSA would like to strengthen new networks and to include as many states as possible with the current levels of funding.  Family-controlled* organizations must meet the following requirements:        * An applicant organization must be dedicated to the improvement of mental health services Statewide;      * An applicant must complete the Certification of Eligibility (see Appendix H of this document) indicating that the applicant meets all eligibility requirements.  Applicants must also provide necessary supportive documentation.    * A family-controlled organization is an organization that has a board of directors made up of more than 50% family members, who have primary daily responsibility for the raising of a child, youth, adolescent or young adult with a serious emotional disturbance up to age 18, or 21 if the adolescent is being served by an Individual Educational Plan (IEP), or up to age 26 if the young adult is being served by an Individual Service Plan in transition to the adult mental health system.  SAMHSA is limiting eligibility to family-controlled organizations because the goals of this grant program are to strengthen the capacity of families with children who have a serious emotional disturbance to act as agents of transformation in influencing the type and amount of services provided to them and their children and to ensure that their mental health care is consumer and family driven.    The statutory authority for this program prohibits grants to for-profit agencies.
Description: The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2009 Statewide Family Network grants. The purpose of this program is to enhance State capacity and infrastructure to be more oriented to the needs of children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances and their families. The Statewide Family Network Program builds on the work of the Child, Adolescent and Services Systems Program (CASSP), which helped to establish a child and family focus in programs serving children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances around the country. Today, nearly every State has active family organizations dedicated to promoting systems of care that are responsive to the needs of children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances and their families. Although significant progress has been made, further support will ensure self-sufficient, empowered networks that will effectively participate in State and local mental health services planning and health care reform activities related to improving community-based services for children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances and their families. The purpose of the Statewide Family Network grant program is to enhance State capacity and infrastructure to be more oriented to the needs of children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances and their families. Statewide Family Network Grants is one of SAMHSA&#146;s infrastructure grant programs. SAMHSA&#146;s Infrastructure Grants support an array of activities to help the grantee build a solid foundation for delivering and sustaining effective mental health service. SAMHSA recognizes that each applicant will start from a unique point in developing infrastructure and will serve populations/communities with specific needs. Awardees may pursue diverse strategies and methods to achieve their infrastructure development and capacity expansion goals. Successful applicants will provide a coherent and detailed conceptual &#147;roadmap&#148; of the process by which they have assessed or intend to assess service system needs and plan/implement infrastructure development strategies that meet those needs. The plan put forward in the grant application must show the linkages among needs, the proposed infrastructure development strategy, and increased system capacity that will enhance and sustain effective programs and services. As of April 2008, approximately 1.64 million men and women have been deployed to serve in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) in support of the Global War on Terror. Individuals returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are at increased risk for suffering post-traumatic stress and other related disorders. Experts estimate that up to one-third of returning veterans will need mental health and/or substance abuse treatment and related services. In addition, the family members of returning veterans have an increased need for related support services. To address these concerns, SAMHSA strongly encourages all applicants to consider the unique needs of returning veterans and their families in developing their proposed project. The Statewide Family Network program and its grantees include outreach to returning veterans and their families who have children with a serious emotional disturbance. Statewide Family Network grants are authorized under 520A of the Public Health Service Act, as amended. This announcement addresses Healthy People 2010 focus area(s) 18 (Mental Health and Mental Disorders) and 26 (Substance Abuse).
GrantorContactEmailDescription: gwendolyn.simpson@samhsa.hhs.gov
GrantorContactText: Gwendolyn Simpson &lt;br/&gt;Office of Program Services, Division of Grants Management      &lt;br/&gt;Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration &lt;br/&gt;1 Choke Cherry Road &lt;br/&gt;Room 7-1085 &lt;br/&gt;Rockville, Maryland 20857 &lt;br/&gt;(240) 276-1408