Partners
NTTAC is powered by an expansive national partnership of organizations bringing complementary expertise in children’s mental health, systems of care, family and youth leadership, policy, financing, and clinical practice.
Together, these partners combine lived experience, research, technical assistance, and on the ground implementation knowledge to strengthen services and systems for children, youth, and families.
Their collective contributions ensure NTTAC’s work is practical, comprehensive, and grounded in evidence-based work across communities and settings. We encourage you to visit their individual websites to learn more about the full scope of their work, leadership, and the many ways they are advancing children’s mental health and strengthening systems of care nationwide.
Innovations Institute, at the UConn School of Social Work, is a national leader in the implementation of evidence-based practices and systems of care for children, youth, young adults, and their families. By bridging the gap between research, policy, and practice, Innovations provides the specialized expertise necessary to build effective and sustainable public systems.
The Family-Run Executive Director Leadership Association (FREDLA), a national family-run organization and association focused solely on children’s mental health and their families. FREDLA brings deep national expertise in family leadership, systems of care and child-serving systems through its network of family-run organizations, drawing upon decades of direct operational leadership, peer support, training, and technical assistance. As a core partner in multiple SAMHSA initiatives and national TTA centers, FREDLA has successfully supported Children’s Mental Health Initiative (CMHI), SAMHSA Statewide Family Network (SFN), Tribal, and other grantees, states and communities. FREDLA integrates research- and practice-informed parent/family peer support, workforce development, and lived family experience to strengthen family leadership, build and maintain collaborative partnerships across settings, and ensure effective, sustainable grant implementation.
The Center for Health Care Strategies brings deep expertise in Medicaid and children’s mental health, providing guidance to state and local governments and managed care organizations on eligibility and enrollment, coverage and benefit design, and payment and delivery reform. Its strengths in financing strategies, cost savings, and Tribal expertise support sustainable, broad-based system improvements aligned with CMHI program goals.
The Education and Development Center (EDC) brings nationally recognized leadership in suicide prevention through the Zero Suicide framework, supporting health and mental health systems to deliver safer, more effective care. With decades of experience in school mental health, multi-tiered suicide prevention, and deep Tribal expertise, EDC provides community responsive, implementation-focused support that strengthens outcomes across settings.
The Meadows Mental Health Policy Institute brings nationally recognized expertise in first episode psychosis and the integration of primary care and mental health services. With strong experience in primary care integration, CMHI/System of Care implementation and evaluation, and an on-staff psychiatrist, Meadows provides clinical and policy-informed guidance to strengthen effective, sustainable child and family outcomes.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) brings deep lived-experience expertise reflected across its board and staff, ensuring authentic family and young adult voice in all aspects of grant implementation. Through its work with the fourth cohort of Next Gen young adults ages 18–25 and its leadership in the need for clarity and safety in use of AI in healthcare delivery, NAMI contributes innovative, youth-informed strategies that strengthen engagement and outcomes.
A national leader in data dissemination on state mental health system structure, financing, services, and workforce, the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) translates cross-state insights into practical, system-level improvements. NASMHPD brings the authority and reach of the national representative for state mental health agencies and their directors, with its Children, Youth, and Families Division convening State Children’s Services Directors to drive shared learning and alignment.
The National Council for Mental Wellbeing brings nationwide expertise through its network of community mental health and substance use treatment organizations. With experience providing TTA to state and local health departments and operating two SAMHSA Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC) TA Centers, the National Council strengthens trauma-informed, high-quality care for youth across primary care and school-based settings.
The Baker Center brings extensive experience transforming mental healthcare systems to implement and sustain clinical best practices in children’s mental health. Its expertise in integrated care, early psychosis, medication de-prescribing, and evidence-based clinical approaches strengthens high-quality, effective service delivery across grant required services and activities.
Youth MOVE (Motivating Others Through Voices of Experiences) National (Youth MOVE National) brings an authentic, youth-driven lens to training and technical assistance, intentionally embedding youth voice and lived experience into every aspect of its work. With experience supporting CMHI and multiple SAMHSA TTA Centers, Youth MOVE strengthens systems by ensuring services, policies, and supports are shaped by the real-world perspectives of the young people they are designed to serve.
Zero to Three brings deep expertise in infant and early childhood development, grounding its work in a strong foundation of early development science and the critical role of parenting in lifelong outcomes. Its subject matter experts span infant and early childhood mental health, child welfare, parenting, physical health and nutrition, and trauma, enabling comprehensive, developmentally informed support for young children and their families.
Our Technical Expert Panel (TEP) brings together a vast network of leaders and stakeholders with deep expertise in children’s mental health and related systems. Panel members include service providers, child- and youth-serving agency administrators, subject matter experts, and representatives from family-run and youth-run organizations, as well as family members and caregivers with lived experience and former CMHI and SFN recipients. Together, they provide critical guidance to NTTAC to ensure grant activities are relevant, effective, and grounded in real-world experience across systems and communities.
Email: NTTAC@uconn.edu