Hathaway-Sycamores Child And Family Services

A TIERED-APPROACH TO TRAUMA- AND GRIEF-FOCUSED EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE DELIVERY IN RESIDENTIAL AND INTENSIVE PROGRAMS - THE PROPOSED PROJECT, ENTITLED “A TIERED APPROACH TO TRAUMA- AND GRIEF-FOCUSED EVIDENCE- BASED PRACTICE DELIVERY IN RESIDENTIAL AND INTENSIVE PROGRAMS,” IS FOCUSED ON INCREASING AND IMPROVING IDENTIFICATION AND DIRECT SERVICE DELIVERY TO THE DISPROPORTIONATE NUMBER OF TRAUMA-EXPOSED AND BEREAVED YOUTH HATHAWAY-SYCAMORES CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES (HSCFS) SERVES IN OUR RESIDENTIAL AND COMMUNITY-BASED INTENSIVE PROGRAMS (CBIPS) ACROSS SIX OF THE EIGHT SERVICE AREAS IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY (LAC). YOUTH IN THESE PROGRAMS HAVE HAD LIMITED ACCESS TO TRAUMA-AND GRIEF-FOCUSED EVIDENCE-BASED ASSESSMENTS (EBAS) AND EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES (EBPS) LARGELY DUE TO FUNDING AND POLICY BARRIERS, DESPITE REPRESENTING THE MOST VULNERABLE YOUTH ACROSS OUR GEOGRAPHIC CATCHMENT AREA (I.E., DISPROPORTIONATELY BLACK [10-79%] AND HISPANIC [33-68%] POPULATIONS, LOW SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS [18-40% BELOW POVERTY LINE], UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES IN TERMS OF ACCESS TO CARE). HSCFS IS A LARGE, NON-PROFIT COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH CENTER LOCATED IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY (LAC), CALIFORNIA. HSCFS SERVES A HIGHLY DIVERSE YOUTH POPULATION, WITH 9 LOCATIONS SPANNING SIX OF THE EIGHT SERVICE AREAS ACROSS LAC. OUR RESIDENTIAL AND CBIPS SERVE MANY YOUTH WHO ARE INVOLVED IN CHILD WELFARE AND/OR JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEMS, AND THE DEGREE OF TRAUMA EXPOSURE AND GRIEF/LOSS EXPERIENCES IN THIS POPULATION IS SUBSTANTIAL AND REPRESENTS A SIGNIFICANT SERVICE GAP. THE PROPOSED PROJECT INCLUDES A SUSTAINABLE, TIERED PLAN FOR INCREASING AND IMPROVING IDENTIFICATION, ASSESSMENT, AND TREATMENT OF YOUTH IN OUR POPULATION OF NEED BY IMPLEMENTING (A) TRAUMA- AND GRIEF-FOCUSED SCREENING INSTRUMENTS, (B) COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENT MEASURES, (C) TWO TRAUMA- AND GRIEF-FOCUSED EBPS (TRAUMA AND GRIEF COMPONENT THERAPY FOR ADOLESCENTS [TGCT-A]; TRAUMA-FOCUSED COGNITIVE BEHAVIORAL THERAPY [TF-CBT]), (D) TRAINING FOR ALL STAFF ROLES ACROSS OUR RESIDENTIAL AND CBIPS IN TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE (TIC) FOUNDATIONAL MODELS TO DEVELOP SHARED, TRAUMA-INFORMED LANGUAGE, AWARENESS, AND CASE CONCEPTUALIZATION FOR DIRECT SERVICE. IN ADDITION, TECHNOLOGY-BASED TOOLS WILL ALSO BE DEVELOPED AND IMPLEMENTED TO ENHANCE IDENTIFICATION AND TRACKING EFFORTS OF YOUTH RECEIVING OUR SERVICES. PREDICTED MEASURABLE OUTCOMES INCLUDE (A) INCREASED IDENTIFICATION AND LINKAGES OF YOUTH WHO SCREEN POSITIVE FOR TRAUMA AND GRIEF/LOSS REACTIONS WITH COMPREHENSIVE TRAUMA AND GRIEF ASSESSMENTS, (B) INCREASED YOUTH ENROLLMENT IN TRAUMA- AND GRIEF-FOCUSED EBPS, (C) REDUCTION IN TRAUMATIC STRESS AND BEREAVEMENT SYMPTOMS AS MEASURED BY CLINICAL OUTCOME MEASURES, AND (D) IMPROVED ATTITUDES AND PRACTICES RELATED TO TIC ORGANIZATIONAL PRINCIPLES. APPROXIMATELY 755 UNDUPLICATED YOUTH WILL BE SERVED BY THE CONSTELLATION OF SERVICES INCLUDED IN THE PROPOSED PROJECT ACROSS THE LIFE OF THE GRANT.

PARTNERSHIPS IN AWARENESS: MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID FOR COMMUNITIES - THE PROPOSED PROJECT, ENTITLED “PARTNERSHIPS IN AWARENESS: MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID FOR COMMUNITIES,” IS FOCUSED ON PROVIDING TRAINING TO INCREASE MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS, REDUCE STIGMA, AND CONNECT INDIVIDUALS WITH REFERRAL AND RESOURCE SUPPORTS. HATHAWAY-SYCAMORES CHILD AND FAMILY SERVICES (HSCFS) WILL OFFER MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID (MHFA) TRAINING TO PREPARE FRONT LINE WORKERS, PARENTS, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO ASSIST THOSE WITH MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS. HSCFS, A LARGE NON-PROFIT COMMUNITY MENTAL HEALTH CENTER LOCATED IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CALIFORNIA, WILL PROVIDE THE MHFA TRAININGS. THIS HIGHLY INTERACTIVE EVIDENCED-BASED PRACTICE WILL BE USED TO TARGET PARTICIPANT GROUPS MOST LIKELY TO HAVE CONTACT WITH INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY BE DEVELOPING A MENTAL HEALTH CONDITION OR ARE IN NEED OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES AND SUPPORT. HSCFS WILL PROVIDE MHFA TRAINING FOCUSED ON ADULTS TO FIRST RESPONDERS (LAW ENFORCEMENT, EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIANS, FIRE-FIGHTERS, ETC.) AND THOSE WORKING WITH OUR VETERAN POPULATION. YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID (YMHA), A CURRICULUM DEVELOPED TO ADDRESS MENTAL HEALTH WITH YOUTH WILL BE OFFERED TO SCHOOL PERSONNEL, PARENTS AND CAREGIVERS (RESOURCE PARENTS). TRAINING PARTICIPANTS WILL LEARN HOW TO RESPOND DURING A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS, AND HOW TO ACCESS RESOURCES IN THEIR COMMUNITIES. THEY WILL LEARN TO RECOGNIZE MENTAL HEALTH DISORDERS; HOW TO INTERVENE WHEN IN CONTACT WITH A PERSON WITH MENTAL HEALTH SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS AND SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS; AND HOW TO DE-ESCALATE A PERSON HAVING A MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS. PARTICIPANTS WILL DEVELOP AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO FIND AND ACCESS RECOURSES SUCH AS REFERRAL LINKAGES, SUPPORT GROUPS, EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES, AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES. COMMUNITIES SERVED WILL INCLUDE UNDERSERVED AND REMOTE REGIONS THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA AND TO ORGANIZATIONS IN OTHER STATES THAT HAVE HAD LESS ACCESS TO MHFA/YMHFA TRAINING AND SUPPORT RESOURCES. REGIONS THAT ARE DENSELY POPULATED AND/OR HIGHLY UNDERSERVED DUE TO RACIAL, ETHNIC AND SOCIOECONOMIC DISPARITY WILL BE PRIORITIZED FOR THIS TRAINING OPPORTUNITY. FOR EXAMPLE, THE COUNTIES OF LOS ANGELES, RIVERSIDE, IMPERIAL, SAN BERNARDINO, ORANGE, TULARE, FRESNO, KINGS, KERN, SANTA BARBARA, MONTEREY, SAN MATEO, ALAMEDA, CONTRA COSTA, SANTA CRUZ, SAN JOAQUIN, MERCED, SACRAMENTO, AMADOR, HUMBOLDT, SAN LUIS OBISPO, YUBA, SISKIYOU, SHASTA, TEHAMA, EL NORTE, SIERRA, SAN DIEGO, BUTTE, SAN FRANCISCO, TRINITY, SAN BENITO, LASSEN, LAKE, SUTTER, INYO, MADERA, MARIN, MARIPOSA, MENDOCINO, MODOC, PLUMAS, SOLANO, EL DORADO, AND GLENN HAVE A HIGH RACIAL/ETHNIC MINORITY POPULATIONS AND ARE CONSIDERED MEDICALLY UNDERSERVED.1 WE WILL FOCUS MARKETING EFFORTS TOWARDS RECRUITING TRAINING PARTICIPANTS OUTSIDE OF CALIFORNIA AS WELL VIA VARIOUS PROFESSIONAL NETWORKS. THUS, THE GOALS OF THIS PROJECT ARE TO INCREASE THE NUMBER OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPANTS TRAINED IN MHFA (N = 364 IN YEAR 1 AND N = 494 IN EACH SUBSEQUENT GRANT YEAR), AND TO INCREASE PARTICIPANTS’ CAPACITY FOR IDENTIFYING COMMUNITY REFERRAL LINKAGES AND KNOWLEDGE FOLLOWING TRAINING.

MENTAL HEALTH AND EMOTIONAL SUPPORT FOR CHILDREN OF THE TERMINALLY ILL.