The University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Center on Children, Families and the Law has been chosen to provide evaluation for the new National Center for Adoption Competent Mental Health Services.

Building bridges between child welfare systems and state mental health systems is key to bringing about systemic change to improve the mental health outcomes for children in care and in adoptive and guardianship homes.

The Center for Adoption Support and Education has been awarded a five-year $20 million cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau to create the first-ever National Center for Adoption Competent Mental Health Services. The center launched Sept. 30 and will continue through Sept. 29, 2028.

The Center for Adoption Support and Education has partnered with a pool of national subject matter experts and other leading organizations to ensure the national center’s success —The Baker Center for Children and Families; FosterClub; the Family Run Executive Director Leadership Association; the National Adoption Association; the National Foster Parent Association; PolicyWorks; and the University Nebraska–Lincoln’s Center on Children, Families, and the Law.

Working with national leaders, parents and young adults with lived experience, the Center for Adoption Support and Education delivers new and enhanced support and training to states, tribes, territories and professionals. The national center will provide targeted technical assistance and evidence-informed training to strengthen coordination and capacity among child welfare and mental health systems to improve the quality of mental health services provided to children, young adults, and their families while in care and in adoptive and guardianship homes.

The national center is the Center on Children, Families and the Law’s second partnership with the Center for Adoption Support and Education. The Nebraska team has been providing evaluation for the National Adoption Competency Mental Health Training Initiative since 2022.