Family Centered Substance Abuse Treatment Grants for Adolescents and their Families

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment is accepting applications for fiscal year (FY) 2010 Family Centered Substance Abuse Treatment Grants for Adolescents and their Families (Assertive Adolescent and Family Treatment). The purpose of this program is to provide substance abuse services to adolescents and their families/primary caregivers in geographic areas with unmet need. Grantees will implement evidence-based practices, specifically the Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach (A-CRA) coupled with Assertive Continuing Care (ACC), that are context specific focusing on the interaction between youth and their environments, family centered and community-based. Families/primary caregivers are an integral part of the treatment process and their inclusion increases the likelihood of successful treatment and reintegration of the adolescents into their communities following the period of formalized treatment. SAMHSA is interested in advancing adolescent treatment services by requiring applicants to implement the evidence-based A-CRA/ACC model in geographic areas with unmet need. To ensure that the evidence-based practice is implemented with fidelity, grantees will receive initial training in this model, and continue to benefit from on-going support and coaching during the certification process for clinicians and supervisors. All grantees must become certified in the A-CRA/ACC model. Training, certification, and support, for a designated number of staff, will be provided by SAMHSA at no additional cost to the grantee (See Appendix I of the RFA). As of February 2009, approximately 1.89 million men and women have been deployed to serve in support of overseas contingency operations, including Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). Individuals returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are at increased risk for suffering post-traumatic stress and other related disorders. Experts estimate that up to one-third of returning veterans will need mental health and/or substance abuse treatment and related services. In addition, the family members of returning veterans have an increased need for related support services. To address these concerns, SAMHSA strongly encourages all applicants to consider the unique needs of adolescents in military families and families of returning veterans in developing their proposed project. Assertive Adolescent and Family Treatment is one of SAMHSA’s services grant programs. SAMHSA’s services grants are designed to address gaps in substance abuse prevention and treatment services and/or to increase the ability of States, units of local government, American Indian/Alaska Native Tribes and tribal organizations, and community- and faith-based organizations to help specific populations or geographic areas with serious, emerging substance abuse problems. SAMHSA intends that its services grants result in the delivery of services as soon as possible after award. Service delivery should begin by the 4th month of the project at the latest. Assertive Adolescent and Family Treatment grants are authorized under 509 of the Public Health Service Act, as amended. This announcement addresses Healthy People 2010 focus area 26 (Substance Abuse).