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The 22nd Annual Research Conference
March 1 - 4, 2009
A System of Care for Children’s Mental Health:
Expanding the Research Base
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Times of change bring both challenge and opportunity. With a change in administration at the federal level, and the severe economic crisis, the challenge is for the children’s mental health field to demonstrate the economy and effectiveness of systems-wide and community-wide approaches to serving children and youth with mental health challenges and their families. The 22nd Annual Research Conference offers the opportunity to share findings, suggest solutions, and identify strategies for promoting positive child, family, and community outcomes through implementing effective systems of care.

Since its first conference in 1986, the Research and Training Center for Children’s Mental Health has sought to expand the research base essential to improved service systems for children with serious emotional and behavioral disturbances and their families.

Who Should Attend

In 2009, the 22nd Annual Research Conference will continue to build on the collective knowledge of the mental health services field. Researchers, evaluators, administrators, policy makers, planners, advocates and family members now work in concert across the nation to apply best practice in their states and communities. We are honored that over 600 members of this national network will come to Tampa in March to share new findings related to building effective systems of care through presentation and collaboration. As host, the Center is committed to selecting conference content that is rigorous, relevant, and focused on producing meaningful outcomes in real-world settings.

Conference Formats

Plenary, poster sessions, paper presentations, symposia ad topical discussions bring opportunities to explore new knowledge and current issues in implementing effective systems of care with national experts. Prior to the conference we offer a special session, Research for Family Members.

Conference Highlights

System of Care Values in Research and Evaluation

Monday, March 2
Abraham Wandersman, PhD, University of South Carolina - Columbia;
Vanessa A. Fuentes, Legal Assistant, Advocates for Children, New York, NY;
Brianne Masselli, THRIVE Initiative: Trauma Informed Systems of Care, Lewiston, ME

This plenary session will focus on the inclusion of system of care values and principles in research and evaluation. Much as systems of care emphasize partnerships with families and youth in system planning and development, so should such partnerships be developed in identifying questions to be studied and general approaches to be used in our research and evaluation. A panel including two young adults (Vanessa Fuentes and Brianne Masselli) and one researcher who has specialized in empowerment evaluation and community-based research (Dr. Abe Wandersman) will address this issue.

Gwen Iding Brogden Distinguished Lecture Series:
Planning for Prevention

Tuesday, March 3
J. David Hawkins, PhD, Endowed Professor of Prevention and Founding Director of the Social Development Research Group, School of Social Work, University of Washington, Seattle.

During his prestigious career, Dr. Hawkins has sought to identify risk and protective factors for health and behavior problems across multiple domains and to understand how these factors interact. He develops and tests prevention strategies, which seek to reduce risk through the enhancement of strengths and protective factors in families, schools, and communities. During this lecture, Dr. Hawkins will share his impressions on how the methods of prevention can best be embedded in public health oriented systems of care.

The Annual Research Conference is hosted by...

The Research and Training Center for Children’s Mental Health in Tampa, Florida. Since its inception in 1984, the Research and Training Center for Children’s Mental Health’s mission has been to increase the effectiveness of service systems by strengthening the empirical base for such systems through research and dissemination to key audiences. Within its current five-year research program, the Center’s integrated research, training, and dissemination program targets implementation issues for developing effective systems of care.

The Center is jointly funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, U.S. Department of Education and the Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration under grant number H133B040024. It is housed within the Department of Child & Family Studies (CFS) at the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, College of Behavioral and Community Sciences, University of South Florida. For more information about CFS, visit the web site or download the latest CFS Quarterly.

Questions

Hotel Room Registration Information
http://rtckids.fmhi.usf.edu/rtcconference/accommodations.cfm
Marriott Waterside at (813) 221-4900; use group code "USFUSFA."

Conference Registration Information
http://rtckids.fmhi.usf.edu/rtcconference/registration/
Marty Kledzik at (813) 974-4661

Presentations
Catherine Newman (813) 974-8429
Cindy Liberton

Sponsorship Opportunities
Sandra Dwinell 813-974-0342

To Unsubscribe

Send a blank email to: rtckids@fmhi.usf.edu with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line.

Research and Training Center for Children's Mental Health
Department of Child and Family Studies MHC2328
Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute
University of South Florida
13301 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.
Tampa, FL 33612-3807
Phone: 813-974-4661
Fax: 813-974-6257
http://rtckids.fmhi.usf.edu
rtckids@fmhi.usf.edu