Trauma and related adversities, comorbidity, and evidence-based care (trace) - the trace (trauma and related adversities, comorbidity, and evidence-based care) initiative will strengthen the nctsn's…

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded Judge Baker Children's Center $600,000 on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.532) to support the Trauma and Related Adversities, Comorbidity, and Evidence-Based Care (TRACE) initiative.

TRACE will provide nationwide training, implementation support, and technical assistance to expand access to evidence-based treatments for children and families affected by trauma and co-occurring behavioral health challenges. The recipient will train National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) Category III sites and affiliated providers in two complementary trauma-informed evidence-based treatments: the Modular Approach to Therapy for Children (MATCH), targeting anxiety, depression, traumatic stress, and disruptive behavior among youth ages 6–17; and Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT), strengthening caregiver-child relationships and improving behavior among children ages 2–6. Specialized training enhancements will address parental substance misuse, prenatal substance exposure, youth substance use, and service coordination across child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Capacity-building activities will target clinicians, supervisors, organizational leaders, and professionals in behavioral health, child welfare, and juvenile justice settings serving youth ages 2–17 and their caregivers nationwide.

Place of performance is Mission Hill, MA 02120. The period of performance runs through September 29, 2031.

Trauma and related adversities, comorbidity, and evidence-based care (trace) - the trace (trauma and related adversities, comorbidity, and evidence-based care) initiative will strengthen the nctsn's capacity to provide comprehensive care for children and families affected by trauma and CO-occurring behavioral health challenges. Through nationwide training, implementation support, and technical assistance, trace addresses a national workforce and implementation GAP by expanding access to evidence-based treatments (ebts) that address anxiety, depression, disruptive behavior, and other concerns that commonly CO-occur with traumatic stress. Trace will serve nctsn category III sites and affiliated providers nationwide. The project will build workforce capacity, strengthen organizational implementation, and improve outcomes across child-serving systems for youth ages 2-17 experiencing traumatic stress and comorbid behavioral health challenges and their caregivers. Trace will train participating agencies in two complementary trauma-informed ebts, the modular approach to therapy for children (match) and parent child interaction therapy (pcit). Match addresses anxiety, depression, traumatic stress, and disruptive behavior among youth ages 6-17, while pcit strengthens caregiver-child relationships and improves behavior among children ages 2-6. Together, these ebts address approximately 80% of the behavioral health conditions that commonly CO-occur with traumatic stress. Specialized training enhancements will focus on parental substance misuse, prenatal substance exposure, youth substance use, and service coordination across child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Capacity-building activities will target clinicians, supervisors, organizational leaders, and professionals working in behavioral health, child welfare, and juvenile justice settings. The goals of trace are to: 1) expand access to high-quality trauma-informed care for youth and families experiencing traumatic stress and CO-occurring behavioral health challenges; 2) build agency capacity to implement and sustain trauma-informed ebts with fidelity, continuous quality improvement, and data-driven decision-making; 3) strengthen the mental health workforce by improving clinician knowledge, attitudes, and skills to deliver ebts that treat traumatic stress and comorbidities; and 4) expand nctsn partner capacity to address challenges related to substance use and systems involvement. Project objectives include increasing clinician knowledge of trauma-informed ebts by 50%, achieving EBT certification among at least 60% of trained clinicians, and ensuring that 90% of participating agencies implement ongoing quality improvement processes. Youth are expected to demonstrate significant reductions in trauma-related, internalizing, and externalizing symptoms and improvements in functioning. Over five years, trace will implement four enhanced learning collaboratives (two match and two pcit cohorts) that combine training, consultation, quality improvement, implementation support, and sustainability planning. Trace will train an estimated 104 providers across 24 agencies in match and pcit and establish local training capacity through train-the-trainer strategies that will train 380 match clinicians and 120 pcit clinicians by the end of the initiative. Participating agencies are expected to provide trauma-informed services to more than 2,800 youth annually and approximately 14,000 youth during the project period. Training enhancements and resources will be disseminated widely to families, clinicians, and providers across child-serving systems, reaching an estimated 1500 providers by the end of the project. Consistent with samhsa's strategic priorities, trace will expand access to evidence-based behavioral health services, strengthen the behavioral health workforce, promote person-centered and family-driven care, and improve outcomes for children and families affected by trauma and substance use.