National Center for Adoption Competent Mental Health Services

This NOFO is modified. Changes are made to Section I and Section V.1.The purpose of this funding opportunity will be to provide one grant to a recipient to create a National Center for Adoption Competent Mental Health Services (the Center) with the capacity to work with state child welfare systems to build the bridges with the mental health community for the further development and training of the mental health practitioners in issues related to separation, loss, grief and trauma and to develop strategies for making trauma-based competent mental health services consistently and comprehensively available throughout each state. All work of this entity will be accomplished utilizing a race equity lens.States struggle with providing comprehensive and adoption competent mental health services for children in foster care and adoptive/guardianship homes. Availability of mental health practitioners trained about the trauma-base experienced by these children is limited, yet these services are critical to the well-being and stability of children while in care and in adoptive/guardianship homes. Building bridges between the child welfare system and the state mental health systems is key to bringing about systemic change to increase and improve on the services provided to children/youth and their families.The development of a national center is expected to raise the level of utilization of existing evidence-informed, state-of-the-art adoption-competent training for mental health practitioners that will increase the access and availability of professionals with trauma informed competence. The Center will provide individual technical assistance to the child welfare systems of states, tribes, and territories in building alliances with the mental health community to build access to competent mental health services for children in care and in adoptive/guardianship homes.

Per 42 U.S.C. 5113(b)(4), eligibility is open to public or private agencies or organizations, including adoptive family groups and minority groups.CB will accept applications that represent partnerships among organizations with relevant experience. Applicants may subcontract with organizations specializing in their assigned tasks. Applications from collaborations must identify a primary applicant responsible for administering the cooperative agreement. Applications from individuals (including sole proprietorships) and foreign entities are not eligible and will be disqualified from competitive review and funding under this funding opportunity. Faith-based and community organizations that meet the eligibility requirements are eligible to receive awards under this funding opportunity. Faith-based organizations may apply for this award on the same basis as any other organization, as set forth at and, subject to the protections and requirements of 45 CFR Part 87 and 42 U.S.C. 2000bb et seq., ACF will not, in the selection of recipients, discriminate against an organization on the basis of the organization's religious character, affiliation, or exercise.