Project Grant H79SM091026

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded the Tennessee Department of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services $3 million on September 30, 2026, under the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children with Serious Emotional Disturbances (SED) program (CFDA 93.104) to implement the FamilyLink Navigation & Support Initiative (FLNSI).

FLNSI will expand Tennessee's system of care for children, youth, and young adults ages 0–21 with or at risk for serious emotional disturbance across ten counties. Over four years, the project will serve 745 unduplicated youth and implement a statewide single point of access, wraparound care coordination, child and family team meetings, standardized referral pathways, and evidence-based practices including cognitive-behavioral therapy, trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy, dialectical behavior therapy, parent-child interaction therapy, multisystemic therapy, eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, and child-parent psychotherapy. The initiative will strengthen governance, expand coordinated behavioral health services, and improve access through a family-driven, youth-guided model. Expected outcomes include improved youth functioning, reduced caregiver stress, increased use of least restrictive services, and a sustainable statewide system of care.

Performance runs through September 29, 2030, with place of performance in Nashville, Tennessee.