PART I: COVER PAGE/OVERVIEW
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Health Resources and Services Administration
Maternal and Child Health Bureau
Division of Child, Adolescent and Family Health
School Mental Health Program and Policy Analysis Center Cooperative Agreement Program
Announcement Type: New Competition
Announcement Number: HRSA-11-106
Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) No. 93.110
FUNDING OPPORTUNITY ANNOUNCEMENT
Fiscal Year 2011
Application Due Date: December 20, 2010
Release Date: November 19, 2010
Date of Issuance: November 20, 2010
Trina Menden Anglin, M.D., Ph.D.
Director, Adolescent Health
Maternal and Child Health Bureau
Email:
Telephone: (301) 443-4291
Fax: (301) 443-1296
Legislative Authority: Title V, Section 501(a)(2) of the Social Security Act, as amended (42 U.S.C. 701(a)(2))
HRSA-XX-XXX 2
Table of Contents
I. Funding Opportunity Description 1
1. Purpose 1
2. Background 6
II. Award Information 7
1. Type of Award 7
2. Summary of Funding 9
III. Eligibility Information 9
1. Eligible Applicants 9
2. Cost Sharing/Matching 9
3. Other 9
IV. Application and Submission Information 9
1. Address to Request Application Package 9
2. Content and Form of Application Submission 10
i. Application Face Page 14
ii. Table of Contents 14
iii. Application Checklist 14
iv. Budget 14
v. Budget Justification 14
vi. Staffing Plan and Personnel Requirements 16
vii. Assurances 16
viii. Certifications 16
x. Program Narrative 17
xi. Program Specific Forms 24
xii. Attachments 25
3. Submission Dates and Times 26
4. Intergovernmental Review 26
5. Funding Restrictions 26
6. Other Submission Requirements 27
V. Application Review Information 28
1. Review Criteria 28
2. Review and Selection Process 32
3. Anticipated Announcement and Award Dates 33
VI. Award Administration Information 33
1. Award Notices 33
2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements 34
3. Reporting 35
VII. Agency Contacts 37
VIII. Other Information 37
ix. Tips for Writing a Strong Application 38
Appendix A: MCHB Administrative Forms and Performance Measures 39
i
I. Funding Opportunity Description
1. Purpose
This announcement solicits applications for the School Mental Health Program and Policy Analysis Center Cooperative Agreement Program.
The purpose of the School Mental Health Program and Policy Analysis Center (SMH-PAC) Cooperative Agreement Program is to advance understanding of successful and innovative school mental health policies and programs in order to strengthen the abilities of educators, schools (grades K – 12), school districts, colleges and universities, and State education agencies, as well as community-based health and mental health providers, to promote student mental health and both to prevent and address student mental, emotional and behavioral problems.[1] The general field of school mental health contains a broad spectrum of effort that includes promotion,[2] various levels of prevention[3] based on needs, and active intervention[4] for students who have mental, emotional or behavioral problems and disorders. Ultimately, well-formulated policies and programs that advance school mental health are expected to optimize student mental health, students’ abilities to learn and their academic performance, as well as educators’ capacity to teach students.
Program Mechanisms
The SMH-PAC Program uses two mechanisms to advance toward its goal. The first mechanism is the analysis of policies, programs, and practices relevant to school mental health for 1) evidence of effectiveness; 2) quality and degree of impact, both intended and unexpected, on students, schools, communities and states; and 3) a contextual understanding of their relative successes and failures. Analyses should consider mental health and behavior, educational processes and learning outcomes. Such policies and programs include public policies and regulations, as well as programs and practices at the community, school district, college and university, State, or federal levels that affect or are intended to influence the mental health status and well-being of students at primary, secondary and post-secondary levels of education (that is, from kindergarten through twelfth grade; and postsecondary grades 13 – 16). In particular, the focus is on students who are children, adolescents, and young adults. Policy and programmatic efforts that focus on students from diverse backgrounds should be examined, as well as those that focus on schools, students and communities in urban, suburban, rural areas. The needs of vulnerable students and the programs and policies that affect their mental health and ability to succeed in school should be included. Examples of vulnerable students include those with disabilities and chronic illnesses, such as but not limited to mental and emotional disturbances; adjudicated youth; homeless students and students in the foster care system; students with active substance use disorders as well as students who are recovering from them; students whose families are immigrants or refugees; students who have witnessed or experienced violence at home, at school, or in the community; students affected by natural or human-caused disasters; and students who are at risk for marginalization and being bullied or harassed because of such attributes and experiences relating to minority sexual orientation or gender identity, or affiliation with non-mainstream youth sub-cultures. In addition, policies and programs developed by other countries may be instructive to the domestic school setting. It is expected that appropriate data sets be examined as one analytic technique. Economic costs should also be considered a part of the analytic framework. It is helpful to consider the gaps in our knowledge. Even though the field of school mental health has made significant strides over the past two decades, it is important to take stock of what we know and do not know and to recommend areas that deserve more intense concentration of research and evaluation effort. It is extremely important to consider how various school improvement and reform efforts affect school climate; schools’ abilities to promote student mental health, prevent student mental, emotional, and behavioral problems, and provide intervention services; and student mental health status.
The second mechanism of the SMH-PAC Program is the dissemination and diffusion of analyses and instructive findings so that they reach and are effectively used by key audiences at national, State and local levels. Audiences include but are not limited to mental health and general health practitioners in schools and communities; researchers and scholars from education, mental health and general/public health sectors; educators and school administrators at primary, secondary and post-secondary levels; school boards at district and State levels as well as other policy makers at local, state and national levels; and parent organizations at local, state and national levels. Products should be appropriate for and disseminated to these varied audiences using an array of strategies intended to enhance diffusion, including for example, publication of articles in peer-reviewed journals, self-published briefs with electronic dissemination, convening expert roundtables, and working collaboratively with national professional membership associations and national parent organizations.
The SMH-PAC is expected to work cooperatively with resource and policy analysis centers and professional associations supported by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, including those that are involved in the National Initiative to Improve Adolescent Health (see Section VIII) as well as with public and private sector education and mental health agencies and organizations. The SMH-PAC is encouraged to establish cooperative relationships with programs relevant to school mental health that are supported by other Federal agencies (for example, Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools, Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Department of Justice’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention).
Some Assumptions of the Program
· Schools are in a position to promote students’ mental health and positive development as well as their motivation to learn by creating a climate that fosters a sense of connectedness and caring relationships among all members of the school community, including students, educators, administrators, support staff, student services and mental health professionals, and family members.[5],[6]
· School policies and programming efforts can have effects on student behavior and mental health, connectedness to school and motivation to learn, and academic performance that range from minimal to profound, and these effects can be positive, negative, or a complex mixture.[7],[8],[9],[10],[11],[12],[13],[14]
· Adverse experiences at school, such as bullying, harassment and physical violence, can have significant effects on students’ mental health and well-being as well as their attendance and ability to learn.[15],[16],[17],[18],[19],[20]
· Students bring a heavy burden to school, with an estimated 17 – 20% having a mental, emotional or behavioral problem. There is a cumulative increase in prevalence as students become older, so that college students have higher rates of many problems compared to school-aged children.[21],[22],[23],[24],[25],[26],[27],[28]
· Students with disabilities, including mental, emotional and behavioral disorders, are likely to have lower reading and mathematics skills, and are less likely to graduate from high school.[29],[30]
· The level of unmet need for mental health and substance abuse treatment is high.[31],[32],[33],[34]
· Schools at elementary, secondary and post-secondary levels are looked to as sites for identifying and reaching students in need, as well as for providing interventions and enhancing access to necessary services. Many schools are struggling to find adequate resources to meet the demand. Balancing mental health promotion, prevention and treatment services in times of limited resources, organization of services, training of providers, and effective mechanisms for linking to community services continue to be relevant topics.[35],[36] [37],[38]
The field of school mental health has experienced significant growth over the past fifteen years. Scholars have contributed to a burgeoning peer-reviewed literature, multiple book chapters, and at least 15 published books, and the field has at least two dedicated journals. In addition to the SMH-PAC Program, the federal government has supported several grants initiatives relevant to school mental health. A partial list includes:
The Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative
http://www.sshs.samhsa.gov/
School Mental Health Capacity Building Partnership
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/partners/ngo/index.htm
Safe and Supportive Schools
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/safesupportiveschools/funding.html
Grants for the Integration of Schools and Mental Health Systems
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/mentalhealth/index.html
In addition, over the past eleven years, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has issued several reports on mental health, each of which has called attention to the extent of unmet need for mental health services among children and youth, and has pointed to the roles that schools should play in meeting young people’s mental health needs. These reports include:
Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General (1999)
www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth or http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/home.html
The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Prevent Suicide (1999)
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/calltoaction/
Report of the Surgeon General’s Conference on Children’s Mental Health: A National Action Agenda (2000)
http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/topics/cmh/childreport.html
Mental Health: Culture, Race, and Ethnicity (2001)
www.mentalhealth.org/cre/toc.asp
National Strategy for Suicide Prevention: Goals and Objectives for Action (2001)
http://store.samhsa.gov/product/SMA01-3517
Achieving the Promise: Transforming Mental Health Care in America (Final Report of the President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, 2003)
www.mentalhealthcommission.gov/reports/reports.htm
Foster S, Rollefson M, Doksum T, Noonan D, Robinson G (2005). School Mental Health Services in the United States, 2002-2003. DHHS Pub. No. (SMA) 05-4068. Rockville, MD: Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
http://download.ncadi.samhsa.gov/ken/pdf/SMA05-4068/SMA05-4068.pdf
National Drug Control Strategy, 2010.
http://www.whitehousedrugpolicy.gov/publications/policy/ndcs10/ndcs2010.pdf
2. Background
The School Mental Health Program and Policy Analysis Center Program is the fourth generation of an initiative designed to advance mental health in schools on a national basis. The initiative began in 1995 when two national centers were funded to provide training and technical assistance to various programs at national, State and community levels that aimed to develop and provide mental health resources and services for the school-aged population. At the same time, five States received grants that supported collaborative school mental health activities among State departments of health, mental health, and education. In 2000, a new competition funded two technical assistance and training centers to provide resources and services to organizations and institutions providing mental health services in schools serving the K – 12 population.. The overall purpose was to strengthen the personnel and systemic capacities of schools and communities for addressing students’ psychosocial issues and mental health problems. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration contributed partial funding support to the second generation of the initiative. The third generation focused on program and policy analysis and also supported two national centers.
II. Award Information
1. Type of Award
Funding will be provided in the form of a cooperative agreement. A cooperative agreement, as opposed to a grant, is an award instrument of financial assistance where substantial involvement is anticipated between HRSA and the recipient during performance of the contemplated project.
In addition to the usual monitoring and technical assistance provided under the cooperative agreement, HRSA MCHB Program responsibilities shall include the following:
1) Participation in the planning and development of all phases of this activity;
2) Participation, as appropriate, in the planning and conduct of any meetings convened as part of project activities;
3) Participating, when appropriate, as an ex officio member of any advisory group established by the awardee;
4) Providing ongoing review of procedures for accomplishing the objectives for the project funded under this Cooperative Agreement;
5) Assisting the awardee to establish, review and update priorities for activities conducted under the auspices of the Cooperative Agreement;
6) Providing assistance, including referral, in establishing Federal interagency, State agency, MCHB grant projects, and other contacts, partnerships, and collaborations that may be necessary for the successful completion of tasks and activities identified in the approved scope of work;
7) Providing advisory input into the development of any product and reviewing each product at key stages in its development;
8) Working with the HRSA Information Center to facilitate dissemination of publications completed under the Cooperative Agreement, and referring inquiries and request for publications and other information;
9) Facilitating or participating in joint projects; and
10) Facilitating relationships to maximize resources, in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division of Adolescent and School Health, in support of the National Initiative to Improve Adolescent Health.
Requirements and obligations of the Cooperative Agreement recipient include: