Building bridges and alliances between CW and MH systems.
Increased Collaboration
Intensive TA
Intensive, On-Site Technical Assistance (TA)
Engage in deep, on-the-ground technical assistance with the National Center team of subject matter experts and lived experience leaders. At the core of our work, lived experience perspectives guide and shape every aspect of the process. Together, we facilitate cross-systems collaboration, including relationship building between child welfare and mental health systems, guidance on team member composition for system change efforts, and the creation of tailored technical assistance (TA) plans that map effective strategies using proven TA methods.
This technical assistance will also include training and support as determined by each State, Tribe, and Territory (STT). TA will be divided into four phases and will occur over a 12–24-month duration, ensuring that lived experience voices remain central throughout the journey.
Intensive Technical Assistance (abbv.)
The National Center provides Technical Assistance:
-
Tailored and responsive to the site, the local community, and their strengths
-
Focused on developing a unique and custom Implementation Plan
-
With multi-level engagement in TA
-
Including robust evaluation of plan implementation and outcomes
-
By strategically selected TA team with varied expertise to support site needs
The work will be led by Site Implementation Teams including:
-
Liaisons
-
The points of contact for the National Center
-
Lead the Steering Team
- Meet monthly or as set by the team
-
-
Steering Team
-
Composed of State/Tribal Nation/territory leadership across multiple systems (e.g., child welfare, behavioral health, juvenile justice, school systems, etc.)
-
Meets monthly to guide implementation planning and execution
-
-
Service Provider Leadership
-
Direct Service Providers
-
Lived Experience Advocates
- The National Center team
The National Center is currently collaborating with:
Oklahoma
Illinois
Rhode Island
Navajo Nation
South Dakota
Michigan
Intensive Technical Assistance Process Overview
Five Key Outcomes for Technical Assistance
Increased Collaboration
1
Increased Use of Training
2
Increased Use of Training
Use of existing state-of-the-art permanency and adoption competent training for child welfare, school-based, and mental health practitioners.
Improved Access to Services
3
Improved Access to Services
Accessibility and delivery of adoption competent MH services to youth with lived experience.
Sustainability
4
Sustainability
Sustained collaboration, use of training, and expanded access to adoption competent MH services to youth and families with lived child welfare experience.
Enhanced Youth Outcomes
5
Enhanced Youth Outcomes
Improved well-being, stability, permanency, and behavioral health of youth.
Supporting Sustainability
Sustainability must be a focus from the beginning
- How will permanency/adoption competence be embedded into the child-serving systems?
- How will training of mental health providers be maintained?
- How will the STT ensure that ongoing permanency/adoption competency training is available and accessible?
- How will lived experience be meaningfully integrated and sustained within planning and implementation efforts across STT initiatives?
Development of sustainability strategies
- Collaboration structures
- Data collection, cross system data sharing, and utilization of data outcomes
- Funding
Showcase of progress of cross-system collaborations
- Peer to peer learning communities and relationship building through Roundtables
- Celebrate successes
- Plan for how to replicate what has worked