The National Adoption Competency Mental Health Training Initiative (NTI), led by the Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.), began in 2017 and is an online training designed to support child welfare and mental health professionals to address the mental health needs of children and families in adoption, guardianship, or kinship care.
Traumatic experiences and early losses contribute to developmental and emotional challenges that may be inadequately addressed because professionals do not receive specialized training. NTI aims to improve collaboration between services and to improve permanency, child and family well-being, and stability through enhanced casework and clinical practice.
Starting in 2022, CCFL has led the evaluation of NTI by assessing the outreach and promotion of NTI; training implementation and utilization; participant experiences, knowledge, and case practice; and collaboration between professionals. These evaluation data are integral to demonstrating C.A.S.E.’s progress toward NTI’s goals and its impact.
Having an attitude of curiosity is a must at nearly every stage of evaluation, from seeking to understand the program, to developing measures, identifying information sources, analyzing data, and interpreting results. The CCFL team is passionate about using effective methods and trust-based connections to ensure the success of this nationwide initiative.
TEAM: Dawn Davis, Eve Brank, Brittany Brakenhoff, Spencer Gowin, Michelle Graef, Megan Paul, not pictured: Sara Ibrahim
COLLABORATIVE PARTNERS: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children & Families,
Children’s Bureau; Center for Adoption Support and Education; Family Equality; FosterClub; PolicyWorks, Ltd;
University of Connecticut School of Social Work, Innovations Institute
"We have been building authentic connections as we work closely with C.A.S.E. to ensure that our evaluation contributes to NTI’s success. It is exciting that this Web-based training addresses a national need by supporting the child welfare and mental health workforce and the children and families they serve." - Dawn Davis, Research Assistant Professor
The NTI directory lists NTI-trained Mental Health Providers in 34 states.
Participants reported significant increases in ADOPTION MENTAL HEALTH COMPETENCE in both knowledge and ability.