APR 27: YOUTH & YOUNG ADULTS TRANSFORMATION TEAM
Welcome to the 5 Things Digest from the NTTAC Youth and Young Adults Transformation Team! This digest identifies 5 Things important to increasing youth and family engagement in System of Care initiatives.

The information in this digest comes from the 2013 - 2016 System of Care grantee evaluation and specifically highlights the learnings from interviews with youth and family leads working within the grantee community or state. These findings provide tangible steps for all initiatives to increase family and youth engagement in transformation efforts.
#1: System of Care leadership plays a key role in increasing youth and family voice.
 
Engaging youth and family members in all aspects of the System of Care initiative is essential to authentic engagement of lived expertise perspectives. Ensure that family and youth voices are a part of all decision-making processes--from initial planning to service delivery, from community outreach to evaluation (and everything in between). Be intentional about creating space for both youth and family voices to be heard--in some communities, one voice may be more developed. The perspectives of youth and family members are unique and should be considered as such. Hiring key leads for youth leadership and family engagement is good practice but these individuals can never replace, or be expected to speak for, the entire community of youth and families. Invest in development opportunities and create pathways for responsibilities to grow over time for all youth and family leaders. Document and sustain your efforts to engage with youth and family by creating policies that expect this practice moving forward. Make investments (with dollars and time) in developing youth- and family-run organizations in the community--these investments facilitate sustainability of youth and family voice.

RESOURCES

**New Publication** Expanding Youth Voice in System of Care: Recommendations for Project Providers
 
#2: Family and youth leaders are key allies in increasing engagement.

Using our voices as lived experience experts to advocate for the importance of youth and family engagement is essential. Invitations and outreach to our peers is one of the more effective ways to invite more family and youth leaders into the initiative. As new family and youth advocates join the effort, we have an important role in offering mentorship and opportunities for their voices to be heard. We also have a responsibility to ensure that all decision makers engage in shared decision making with youth and family members. Previous efforts have shown that youth and family leaders will need to be consistently pushing for sustainability planning throughout the initiative.

RESOURCES
 
**New Publication** Expanding Youth Voice in System of Care: Recommendations for Project Providers


#3: The System of Care evaluation teams are key champions for family and youth engagement.

System of Care evaluation has shown that having youth and family members with lived experience in the child and youth mental health system involved from the very beginning serves as a launching pad for successful engagement throughout the initiative. Invite youth and family to initial planning meetings--even prior to applying for funding of the work. Engaging youth and families in determining what success looks like for the initiative is also important. Outcome measurements and evaluation efforts can be formed from this definition of success. For successful engagement, youth and families need to be knowledgeable. Provide opportunities to learn the language of system of care, the complexity of the system and change making, and the role of evaluation. There are many roles for family and youth to hold in evaluation efforts--from design to data collection to analysis--to ensure their voices are heard in each step of the process. And it is always important to ensure that youth and family leaders are compensated for their time and fully supported in participation--intentionally removing barriers to participation is a must. Family and youth leaders who find value in participation in evaluation efforts, keep coming back to the work. Making meetings and evaluation roles both engaging and valuable is the goal.
 
RESOURCES

**New Publication** Expanding Youth Voice in System of Care: Recommendations for Project Providers

#4: Investing in youth-run and family-run organizations matters.
 
Roles for family and youth with lived experience should not be limited to specific roles connected to grant funding. Instead the role for family and youth leaders is in the community, surrounding and increasing the engagement efforts of a particular grant initiative. Organizations that are built on a foundation of lived experience, with leadership and decision-making power vested in youth or family members, play a variety of important roles. These organizations offer a hub for youth and families in need to reach out and connect immediately with a peer for support and navigation. Advocacy work often drives these organizations, and in this way family and youth leaders can support and push for necessary change that uplifts the goals of other initiatives. Youth and parent peer support positions, youth and family engagement positions, or other coordination roles can be hired and fully supported in these community-based organizations, rather than being standalone positions in other agencies or only connected to a state or county grant. Youth- and family-run organizations also offer effective spaces to develop new leaders, with support and growth opportunities for everyone who walks through their doors.
 
RESOURCES

 

 
#5: Engaging family and youth in evaluation is important.
 
The findings shared throughout this digest exist because of the role youth and family members played in the evaluation of System of Care grants from 2013 - 2016. The request to more deeply analyze the data gathered from interviews with youth and family leaders in the grants from a youth and family movement lens unearthed important findings that may otherwise have been missed. These interviews, conducted by youth and family peers, were a unique opportunity to uncover the real life happenings of youth and family engagement in System of Care initiatives. Paralleling this practice in your own change initiatives is vital.

RESOURCES

 
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Child, Youth, and Family Mental Health
 
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Disclaimer: The views, opinions, and content expressed in this email do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or policies of the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).