SAMHSA Simplifies, Clarifies Grants Process SAMHSA has revamped its methods of coordinating and announcing opportunities for funding through discretionary grant programs for FY 2004. In the past, SAMHSA made as many as 30 separate grant announcementseach unique to a particular program—in a year. The Agency is looking forward to a streamlined future, in which just four standard grant announcements-available to applicants year-round-simplify and clarify the process by which the Agency solicits and supports grantees in advancing the field of substance abuse and mental health services in the United States. In October 2002, SAMHSA leadership developed a cross-organizational Discretionary Grants Re-Engineering Team comprised of representatives from each of SAMHSA's three Centers and from the Agency's planning and grants management offices. This team reviewed past grant announcements across the Agency and concluded that most SAMHSA Requests for Funding Applications fall into one of four categories: Services Grants; Infrastructure Grants; Best Practices Planning and Implementation Grants; and Service-toScience Grants (see box, p. 7). Standard grant announcements for each of these broad categories were then developed, and they are now available at the SAMHSA Web site at www.samhsa.gov/grants or from the SAMHSA information clearinghouses-the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information, and the National Mental Health Information Center. These standard grant announcements address elements common to each grant category, including the purpose of funding, standard of evidence, general size of awards, eligibility, allowable activities, and review criteria. In addition, appendices in each standard announcement contain resources to assist applicants in planning effective programs and developing competitive The year-round availability of these New Standard Grant Potential grantees should not submit which funding is available, the applicable grant category, and the criteria required in addition to (or different from) the standard announcement. For example, a NOFA to provide mental health services to homeless people would identify information regarding targeted homeless populations that would be required in completing an application for a Services Grant. A grant program to provide substance abuse and HIV/AIDS prevention services to incarcerated adults would use the same standard announcement, but would require different additional information and evidence. Benefits of the Change The four grant categories, taken as a whole, provide a structure to support proven practices and to prove the promising ones. Service-to-Science Grants help grantees evaluate promising practices; Infrastructure Grants support grantees in developing the necessary structures to deliver and evaluate services effectively; Services Grants address gaps and unmet needs in the substance abuse and mental health service system; and Best Practices Planning and Implementation Grants promote the use of practices that prove effective. A very few SAMHSA funding opportunities, such as grants for training, conferences, or technical assistance, don't fit within the fourcategory structure. These opportunities will continue to be announced through separate, individual Requests for Applications. "Simplifying the application and review process will increase clarity and help both applicants and SAMHSA," says Frank Sullivan, Ph.D., Director of Organizational Effectiveness at SAMHSA. Applicants now have greater opportunity to familiarize themselves with Federal expectations regarding applications for funding. In addition, Dr. Sullivan hopes that the new structure will enable SAMHSA to provide more time between the publication of NOFAS and the due date for applications. According to Dr. Sullivan, the ultimate goal of redesigning the grants process is "to advance the SAMHSA mission of building resilience and facilitating recovery for citizens affected by substance abuse and mental health issues." Clarifying SAMHSA's expectations through the use of standard grant announcements will advance applicants' understanding of the Agency's needs and priorities. Stronger applications and additional SAMHSA support can lead to better developed and better documented— community-based programs. "A clearer process," says Dr. Sullivan, "will help SAMHSA communicate goals and expectations more easily, and will help the field work with us more effectively. Good communication will help grantees learn and share the knowledge they gain. And, through that shared knowledge, we can advance the field of substance abuse and mental health services. Our collective knowledge is one of our greatest resources. In addition to communicating more clearly with local, state, and communitybased organizations, SAMHSA intends the new grants process to facilitate cooperation across and within the three SAMHSA Centers. Using standard Services or Best Practices announcements, for example, the Centers could collaborate to develop a NOFA for programs targeting individuals with co-occurring mental and substance abuse disorders. The standard announcements will thereby assist SAMHSA in developing new field-ready programs. SAMHSA staff, who will no longer be required to develop full grant announcements for each of several grant programs, will be better able to assist applicants and grantees in developing applications and delivering services. "We want to shift staff energy from the front end of the process-writing and reviewing funding announcements-to emphasize grantee support, program productivity, and client outcomes," says Dr. Sullivan. "Preserving staff resources for grant monitoring and support will enable SAMHSA to help grantees more effectively solve problems they encounter as they activate their programs; help one another through their lessons learned; and help themselves through the development and implementation of evaluations that more clearly communicate the efficacy and cost efficiency of their programs." For more information about the four new SAMHSA standard grant announcements and the changes to SAMHSA Discretionary Grant Funding Opportunities, visit www.samhsa.gov/grants. This Web site also includes a downloadable manual on developing competitive SAMHSA grants, which contains a glossary of terms, references, and additional Web resources. A list of 2003 grant awardees is available at www.samhsa.gov/grants, along with dates for upcoming grant-writing training and technical assistance workshops for community-based, faith-based, and grassroots organizations across the Nation. ▸ -By Melissa Capers Discretionary Grant Categories During the grants re-engineering process in 2003, all of SAMHSA'S discretionary grant programs were reviewed and most were placed in one of the following four broad categories for funding. Services Grants address gaps in services and/or increase the applicant's ability to meet the unmet needs of specific populations and/or specific geographical areas with serious, emerging problems. Up to 20 percent of grant funds may be used to monitor services and costs, and up to 15 percent of grant funds may be used to develop infrastructure for service delivery. Planned services should be evidenced-based, and should begin within 4 months of the grant award. Infrastructure Grants increase the capacity of the mental health and/or substance abuse service systems through needs assessments, the coordination of funding streams, and/or the development of provider networks, workforces, data infrastructure, etc. Up to 15 percent of grant funds may be used to conduct implementation pilots to SAMHSA Simplifies, Clarifies Grants Process SAMHSA has revamped its methods of coordinating and announcing opportunities for funding through discretionary grant programs for FY 2004. In the past, SAMHSA made as many as 30 separate grant announcementseach unique to a particular program—in a year. The Agency is looking forward to a streamlined future, in which just four standard grant announcements-available to applicants year-round-simplify and clarify the process by which the Agency solicits and supports grantees in advancing the field of substance abuse and mental health services in the United States. In October 2002, SAMHSA leadership developed a cross-organizational Discretionary Grants Re-Engineering Team comprised of representatives from each of SAMHSA's three Centers and from the Agency's planning and grants management offices. This team reviewed past grant announcements across the Agency and concluded that most SAMHSA Requests for Funding Applications fall into one of four categories: Services Grants; Infrastructure Grants; Best Practices Planning and Implementation Grants; and Service-toScience Grants (see box, p. 7). Standard grant announcements for each of these broad categories were then developed, and they are now available at the SAMHSA Web site at www.samhsa.gov/grants or from the SAMHSA information clearinghouses-the National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug Information, and the National Mental Health Information Center. These standard grant announcements address elements common to each grant category, including the purpose of funding, standard of evidence, general size of awards, eligibility, allowable activities, and review criteria. In addition, appendices in each standard announcement contain resources to assist applicants in planning effective programs and developing competitive The year-round availability of these New Standard Grant Potential grantees should not submit which funding is available, the applicable grant category, and the criteria required in addition to (or different from) the standard announcement. For example, a NOFA to provide mental health services to homeless people would identify information regarding targeted homeless populations that would be required in completing an application for a Services Grant. A grant program to provide substance abuse and HIV/AIDS prevention services to incarcerated adults would use the same standard announcement, but would require different additional information and evidence. Benefits of the Change The four grant categories, taken as a whole, provide a structure to support proven practices and to prove the promising ones. Service-to-Science Grants help grantees evaluate promising practices; Infrastructure Grants support grantees in developing the necessary structures to deliver and evaluate services effectively; Services Grants address gaps and unmet needs in the substance abuse and mental health service system; and Best Practices Planning and Implementation Grants promote the use of practices that prove effective. A very few SAMHSA funding opportunities, such as grants for training, conferences, or technical assistance, don't fit within the fourcategory structure. These opportunities will continue to be announced through separate, individual Requests for Applications. "Simplifying the application and review process will increase clarity and help both applicants and SAMHSA," says Frank Sullivan, Ph.D., Director of Organizational Effectiveness at SAMHSA. Applicants now have greater opportunity to familiarize themselves with Federal expectations regarding applications for funding. In addition, Dr. Sullivan hopes that the new structure will enable SAMHSA to provide more time between the publication of NOFAS and the due date for applications. According to Dr. Sullivan, the ultimate goal of redesigning the grants process is "to advance the SAMHSA mission of building resilience and facilitating recovery for citizens affected by substance abuse and mental health issues." Clarifying SAMHSA's expectations through the use of standard grant announcements will advance applicants' understanding of the Agency's needs and priorities. Stronger applications and additional SAMHSA support can lead to better developed and better documentedcommunity-based programs. "A clearer process," says Dr. Sullivan, "will help SAMHSA communicate goals and expectations more easily, and will help the field work with us more effectively. Good communication will help grantees learn and share the knowledge they gain. And, through that shared knowledge, we can advance the field of substance abuse and mental health services. Our collective knowledge is one of our greatest resources." In addition to communicating more clearly with local, state, and communitybased organizations, SAMHSA intends the new grants process to facilitate cooperation across and within the three SAMHSA Centers. Using standard Services or Best Practices announcements, for example, the Centers could collaborate to develop a NOFA for programs targeting individuals with co-occurring mental and substance abuse disorders. The standard announcements will thereby assist SAMHSA in developing new field-ready programs. SAMHSA staff, who will no longer be required to develop full grant announcements for each of several grant programs, will be better able to assist applicants and grantees in developing applications and delivering services. "We want to shift staff energy from the front end of the process-writing and reviewing funding announcements—to emphasize grantee support, program productivity, and client outcomes," says Dr. Sullivan. "Preserving staff resources for grant monitoring and support will enable SAMHSA to help grantees more effectively solve problems they encounter as they activate their programs; help one another through their lessons learned; and help themselves through the development and implementation of evaluations that more clearly communicate the efficacy and cost efficiency of their programs." For more information about the four new SAMHSA standard grant announcements and the changes to SAMHSA Discretionary Grant Funding Opportunities, visit www.samhsa.gov/grants. This Web site also includes a downloadable manual on developing competitive SAMHSA grants, which contains a glossary of terms, references, and additional Web resources. A list of 2003 grant awardees is available at www.samhsa.gov/grants, along with dates for upcoming grant-writing training and technical assistance workshops for community-based, faith-based, and grassroots organizations across the Nation. ▸ -By Melissa Capers Discretionary Grant Categories During the grants re-engineering process in 2003, all of SAMHSA'S discretionary grant programs were reviewed and most were placed in one of the following four broad categories for funding. Services Grants address gaps in services and/or increase the applicant's ability to meet the unmet needs of specific populations and/or specific geographical areas with serious, emerging problems. Up to 20 percent of grant funds may be used to monitor services and costs, and up to 15 percent of grant funds may be used to develop infrastructure for service delivery. Planned services should be evidenced-based, and should begin within 4 months of the grant award. Infrastructure Grants increase the capacity of the mental health and/or substance abuse service systems through needs assessments, the coordination of funding streams, and/or the development of provider networks, workforces, data infrastructure, etc. Up to 15 percent of grant funds may be used to conduct implementation pilots to SAMHSA Helps Reduce Seclusion and Restraint continued from page 1 use of seclusion and restraint in nonmedical, community-based, residential and day treatment facilities for children and youth. Lakeside and four other grantees across the country are developing methods to train staff who work with children and youth in facilities providing mental health services (see SAMHSA News, p. 9). The Child Welfare League of America, in collaboration with the Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health, serves as the project's coordinating center. Together, the coordinating center and demonstration sites are developing best practices in training to reduce the use of restraint and seclusion. "Restraint and seclusion represent treatment systems' failures," said CMHS Director A. Kathryn Power, M.Ed. "Through this initiative and others, consumers of mental health services will have improved opportunities for recovery." Emphasis on Training Over the last decade, investigations revealed that inappropriate use of restraint and seclusion can result in psychological trauma, physical injury, or even death (see "Breaking the Bonds," SAMHSA News, Volume XI, Number 2). Children are at especially high risk. Now, a patchwork of state laws and a series of Federal regulations and laws have been established to try to prevent such problems. The Children's Health Act of 2000 "Restraint and seclusion represent treatment systems' failures." -A. Kathryn Power, M.Ed. CMHS Director Mural of the Lakeside Treatment and Learning Center by one of the center's young clients. requires SAMHSA and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to develop regulations governing use of restraint and seclusion in health care facilities receiving Federal dollars and in non-medical, community-based facilities for youth. As part of its Conditions of Participation, CMS already established standards that prohibit hospitals and residential psychiatric treatment facilities for people under age 21 from using restraint and seclusion except to ensure safety during emergencies. The regulations also require facilities to report deaths, debrief staff and consumers after incidents, and provide education and training to staff. That last requirement is especially important, said Paolo del Vecchio, M.S.W., Associate Director for Consumer Affairs at CMHS. Because of the field's high turnover rates, staff may not receive adequate training. "Staff members need ongoing training on seclusion and restraint-most importantly, in how to prevent the use of such techniques in the first place," said Mr. del Vecchio. "Focusing on alternatives to the use of restraint and seclusion is the real key." And that's just what the CMHS grants do. The program's goals are to develop a range of effective models for training professional and support staff in the appropriate use of restraint and seclusion and to analyze the training's impact on use, safety, and other outcomes. A Range of Approaches Demonstration sites were chosen with diversity in mind, said SAMHSA project officer Karen Saltus Armstrong, M.S.S.W., J.D., of the Protection and Advocacy Section of the CMHS Division of State and Community Systems Development. "The demonstration sites are quite different in terms of the populations they serve, locations, and other factors," said Ms. Armstrong. "We're hoping to come out of this project with many different training models." For example, the three Connecticut facilities that joined together for the CMHS grant exemplify the range of models under |