H79SM084173

The Pennsylvania Cooperative Agreements for the Expansion and Sustainability of the Statewide System of Care - the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS), Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS), seeks to continue to build, expand, and integrate its System of Care (SOC) approach. The goal is to create sustainable infrastructure and services that improve the mental health outcomes for children and youth under the age of 21 with or at risk of serious emotional disturbances (SED) and multi-system involvement.

Pennsylvania (PA) is a large and diverse state where human services are the responsibility of county agencies. The state sets policy and provides funding, while the county manages behavioral health, child welfare, and juvenile justice services at the local level. The Pennsylvania Care Partnership (the Partnership), which oversees the day-to-day system of care activities statewide, will build on the progress made through previous Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) SOC grants at the state and county level. Currently, 44 of PA's 67 counties have developed or are developing and implementing the SOC approach.

The Partnership will use the System of Care Expansion and Sustainability Grant to add four new counties and continue moving its SOC approach towards wide-scale adoption. The four counties, Blair, Delaware, Greene, and Lackawanna, were selected through a competitive process that included youth and family input. Selection criteria included geographic location, need, and interest. These counties have extensive experience working with youth with complex mental health issues and families. They have also developed and implemented other system change efforts and are willing to collaborate across systems and pilot new service delivery models.

Each county has proposed 1-3 possible evidence-based enhancements to their current county service array and will work with the Partnership to develop and implement these new delivery models. The potential models include the expansion of high fidelity wraparound, peer-driven case management, enhanced services for transition-age youth, and enhanced supportive living programming. Together, these four counties will enroll and serve 65 children and youth in year one, 85 in year two, 85 in year three, and 65 in year four, for a total of 300 children and youth.

At the state level, the leadership has updated their SOC strategic plan and identified several infrastructure challenges. These challenges include the ongoing need to align the child-serving systems, family and youth engagement during the pandemic, ongoing challenges to provide culturally and linguistically competent services and supports, and strengthening the roles and responsibilities of the state and county SOC leadership teams.

The overall vision for the four years of this grant and beyond is that every youth and family in the Commonwealth will be able to access and navigate a unified network of effective services and supports. These services and supports should be family and youth-driven, community-based, culturally and linguistically competent, and meet their individual needs.

Pennsylvania Department Of Human Services

NOT APPLICABLE

93.104 - Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children with Serious Emotional Disturbances (SED)

Division of Grants Management [HHS - SAMHSA]

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 17120 United States

Single Zip Code

Grants for Expansion and Sustainability of the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children with Serious Emotional Disturbances (SM-21-004)

Amendment Since initial award the total obligations have increased 297% from $2,922,181 to $11,611,828.