Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) – 2020
Intended for the U.S. Congress, this annual report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) describes the activities and accomplishments of the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children with Serious Emotional Disturbances Program, also known as the Children’s Mental Health Initiative (CMHI). The report presents findings from a national evaluation of the 91 expansion and sustainability grantees funded between 2013 and 2017. The report includes data collected and analyzed for the CMHI National Evaluation for the purpose of identifying services and practices that are best suited to meeting the unique needs of children, youth, and families. The results demonstrate that CMHI grantees are implementing and sustaining effective evidence-based practices that result in improvements in mental health and functional status at home, in school, and in the community for the children, youth, young adults and families being served. Specific findings indicate: 71.3% of the children, youth, and young adults served come from families near or below the federal poverty threshold; mental, social, and emotional symptoms among children, youth, and young adults significantly improved from intake to follow-up; the children, youth, and young adults served significantly improved in overall functioning (e.g., relations with family members and peers, academic or occupational functioning, and involvement in general interests and activities) from intake to follow-up; caregivers reported significantly less stress after receiving CMHI services; child, youth, and young adult functioning in daily life activities, including school or work performance, getting along with friends and family, and coping skills, significantly improved by 62.7% from intake to follow-up; psychological distress significantly decreased by 17.5% from intake to follow-up; and the proportion of children, youth, and young adults who attended school regularly or who were employed significantly increased from intake (81.6% to follow-up (89%). The report closes with recommendation for future programming. 2 references.