Happy October! This month, we're talking about how the National Center is improving access to child welfare competent mental health services to children and families that need them most. As the U.S. faces an ongoing mental health crisis, the need for adoption competent services is exacerbated for families who have experienced the child welfare system. Unfortunately, the barriers to access are ever-increasing. These barriers include fragmented services, a lack of effective collaboration between systems, a workforce crisis, increasing complex mental health needs of children and youth, a lack of providers trained to support this population, and more. The National Center is currently engaging systems to address these challenges and improve access to these critical services.

The National Center partners with changemakers in States, Tribes, and territories (STTs) to provide hands-on tailored support to child-serving systems as part of our Intensive Technical Assistance services. Our work is fully funded by the Administration of Children and Families—Children’s Bureau and offered at no cost to STTs. View our latest webinar to learn how you can affect sustainable change in your community by partnering with the National Center!  

Honoring Indigenous People’s Day



The National Center is focused on supporting the behavioral health workforce to effectively meet the needs of all families, especially those who have historically been underserved. It is crucial to address equity, recognize tribal sovereignty, and incorporate cultural healing practices to reduce barriers to care. The National Center recognized Indigenous People’s Day on October 14, 2024. Check out this blog post written by Michelle Seymore at NAA, a National Center partner, to learn more about this important opportunity to honor and empower Tribal Nations in America. You can also read more about the mental health needs of Indigenous youth in this blog post written by Cristina Tanzola and Waverlee Shoulderblade.

Children’s Mental Health Assessment Guide



Once you’ve recognized that your child needs help, the steps toward getting care can be difficult to navigate. October is National Mental Health Screening Month, and as part of the National Center’s commitment to improving access to mental health services for children, we’ve partnered with Sean Snyder at the Baker Center to create this mental health assessment guide to help caregivers plan the next steps in getting help for their child. 

Permanence vs. Placement

The words “permanence” and “placement” hold distinct definitions and significance for youth in foster care. This post, written by Foster Club, features voices from several Lived Experience Leaders who share what these words mean to them.

Specifying Cross-System Collaboration Strategies for Implementation

This multi-site qualitative study identifies and describes cross-system collaboration strategies used in Ohio to implement START, linking child welfare and behavioral health systems. This article can be useful for child welfare and mental health systems leaders and TA sites as it provides a State example of cross-system collaboration.

The Value of NTI for Child Welfare and Mental Health System Collaboration

In this podcast episode, Louise Johnson, Director of the Division of Children, Adolescents, and their Families for the SC Dept. of Mental Health discusses the successful collaboration between the child welfare and mental health systems in South Carolina. Learn how she utilized NTI training to improve her staff’s adoption competence.

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