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Expanding Access to Mental Health Services for Maltreated Youth in Child Advocacy Centers: Implementation Determinants and Strategies to Improve Screening and Referral

Award Number: F31MH141936
ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH
OPDIV: NIH
AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY
AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 06/16/2026
PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/15/2029

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Expanding Access to Mental Health Services for Maltreated Youth in Child Advocacy Centers: Implementation Determinants and Strategies to Improve Screening and Referral - PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Child maltreatment is a pervasive public health issue, with long-term consequences for children’s mental health and development. Maltreated children are at heightened risk for psychiatric disorders, yet many do not receive timely or appropriate care. Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) are uniquely positioned to identify and address mental health concerns early in the trajectory of trauma exposure. As frontline responders for child maltreatment cases, CACs utilize multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) to conduct forensic interviews, provide medical evaluations, and coordinate referrals for mental health services. Despite this critical role, significant gaps remain in the consistent implementation of evidence-based mental health screening and referral practices within CACs, leaving many children lost to care. This project leverages the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment (EPIS) framework to systematically examine and strengthen mental health screening and referral practices in CACs. The study has three aims: (1) Identify barriers and facilitators of mental health screening and referral practices in CACs and similar settings through a scoping review; (2) Generate a detailed understanding of workflows in two CACs and primary determinants influencing consistent implementation of screening and referral using rapid ethnographic assessments (i.e., workflow observations and semi-structured interviews); (3) Collaboratively create practical roadmaps with CAC partners for improving screening and referral practices guided by causal pathway diagram (CPD) workshops. The scoping review will provide a comprehensive understanding of the factors that impact mental health screening and referral, creating a foundation for ethnographic exploration. Rapid ethnographic assessments will document detailed workflows and decision-making processes within CACs, identifying points where mental health screening and referral protocols can be strengthened. CPD workshops will use this contextual ethnographic knowledge to detail specific implementation strategies aligned with the determinants most significant to each CAC. Overall, this project will provide practical recommendations to enhance mental health screening and referral practices in CACs and will advance implementation science by applying novel partner-driven methods to multidisciplinary settings. Ultimately, this work aims to expand access to evidence- based mental health care for maltreated youth by addressing gaps in the early stages of the care cascade.


Issue Date FY	Funding FY	Legal Entity Name	Legal Entity Address	Legal Entity City	Legal Entity State	Legal Entity Zip Code	Legal Entity COUNTY	Legal Entity COUNTRY	Assistance Listing	Award Code	Budget Year	Action Date	Action Type	Action Amount

Issue Date FY: 2026 ( Subtotal = $50,114 )
2026	2026	UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON	4333 BROOKLYN AVE NE	SEATTLE	WA	98195	KING	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	000	1	5/7/2026	NEW	$50,114
2026	2026	UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON	4333 BROOKLYN AVE NE	SEATTLE	WA	98195	KING	USA	Mental Health Research Grants	001	1	5/7/2026	NEW	$0
														Subtotal = $50,114

Grand Total All Awards = $50,114

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Expanding Access to Mental Health Services for Maltreated Youth in Child Advocacy Centers: Implementation Determinants and Strategies to Improve Screening and Referral

Award Number: F31MH141936

ORGANIZATION: NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH

OPDIV: NIH

AWARD CLASS: DISCRETIONARY

AWARD ACTIVITY TYPE: FELLOWSHIP/SCHOLARSHIP/STUDENT LOANS

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE START DATE: 06/16/2026

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE END DATE: 06/15/2029

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