Project bridge (building recovery through trauma-informed detection, guidance, and early intervention) will 1) improve child-serving staff's capacity for early identification of children suffering…

The Department of Health and Human Services Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA Center for Mental Health Services) awarded $600,000 to Child Health and Development Institute of Connecticut, Inc. on September 30, 2026, under the Center for Mental Health Services Projects of Regional and National Significance program (CFDA 93.532) to develop and implement Project BRIDGE.

Project BRIDGE will improve child-serving staff capacity for early identification of children experiencing traumatic stress and develop a brief, evidence-informed trauma intervention for youth ages 6–17 across multiple service settings where traditional, long-term evidence-based treatments are unavailable or impractical. The project addresses gaps in trauma screening and care across behavioral health, health care, education, child welfare, and juvenile justice systems. BRIDGE will accomplish three main goals: train child-serving professionals in trauma screening best practices through updates to online courses, expanded resources addressing underserved populations (with initial focus on children with intellectual and developmental disabilities), and in-person and virtual trainings to reach at least 1,500 child-serving staff; develop and disseminate a brief intervention model to provide timely support and facilitate connection to longer-term trauma-focused treatments; and address workforce limitations and treatment barriers that contribute to care gaps.

The award period runs from September 30, 2026, through September 29, 2031, with place of performance in Farmington, Connecticut.

Project bridge (building recovery through trauma-informed detection, guidance, and early intervention) will 1) improve child-serving staff's capacity for early identification of children suffering from traumatic stress and 2) develop and disseminate a very brief evidence-informed trauma intervention intended for any youth age 6-17 experiencing traumatic stress across a range of settings in the united states where traditional, long-term evidence-based treatments (EBTS) are not feasible or available. Despite high rates of trauma exposure and the increasing availability of trauma-focused EBTS, many children experiencing traumatic stress are not identified and do not receive appropriate care. Across child-serving systems, including behavioral health, health care, education, child welfare, and juvenile justice, routine trauma screening remains inconsistent and providers often lack practical options to support youth when longer-term trauma-focused EBTS are unavailable, inaccessible, or impractical. Workforce limitations, time constraints, and barriers to treatment engagement further contribute to gaps in care. Bridge will address these challenges by building capacity for trauma screening and disseminating an evidence-informed brief intervention model that can provide timely support and facilitate connection to longer-term trauma-focused EBTS when needed. Bridge has three main goals. First, IT will improve child-serving professionals' capacity to conduct trauma screening through trainings in trauma screening best practices. This will be done through updates to online courses on trauma screening best practices; by expanding trauma screening resources to address populations and contexts in which guidance is limited, with an initial focus on developing an online course focused on children with intellectual and developmental disabilities; and through in-person and virtual trainings. These activities will result in at least 1,500 child-serving staff being trained, 5,000 children being screened for trauma, and 1,000 children receiving EBTS as a result. Second, bridge will focus on developing, disseminating, and sustaining a brief intervention model to support children, entitled brief trauma intervention (BTI). This will include developing training curricula, practice manuals, implementation resources, and an online course. Following this, BTI will be disseminated through four learning communities and a train-the-trainer with nctsn and other child-serving sites. By the end of the grant, at least 500 staff will be trained in BTI and at least 2,000 children will be served across settings. Third, bridge will focus on ensuring all activities represent and support child, youth, and caregiver priorities. Youth and caregivers will comprise at least 33% of a multidisciplinary advisory board and will participate in focus groups and CO-development of training content. In partnership with national experts from the nctsn and representatives from state agencies, outpatient settings, and other child-serving systems, the advisory board will provide ongoing guidance to support project planning, implementation, quality improvement, and dissemination.