The National Technical Assistance Center for Youth Transition (NTAC-YT) Accomplishes Much During First Year
According to the Center for Mental Health Services, of all disability groups, youth with emotional and/or behavioral difficulties (EBD) have the highest rates of school dropout. Research also shows poor outcomes in areas of employment, arrests and incarceration, unplanned pregnancy and childbearing, and the ability to live independently.Unfortunately, due to a lack of coordination across service systems, many youth with EBD no longer receive supportive services once they reach young adulthood. To address this issue, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has funded five Partnerships for Youth Transition sites across the nation. Each of the sites, located in Maine, Minnesota, Washington, Utah, and Pennsylvania, are developing programs to help youth age 14-25 achieve goals - within their potential - of finishing high school, finding a job and career, furthering their education, and living independently.
With the purpose of assisting sites in achieving activities and products required by SAMHSA, the National Technical Assistance Center on Youth Transition (NTAC-YT) was developed. Housed within CFS, the Center is jointly funded by the Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative and the Annie E. Casey Foundation, and builds on previous ground-breaking work by CFS’s Rusty Clark and Nicole Deschenes.
As part of its mission to share information across sites, the NTAC-YT recently launched a website and monthly E-newsletter. The website (http://ntacyt.fmhi.usf.edu) includes NTAC-YT and site announcements, resources including publications, calendar events, programmatic and research resources, and links related to transition, youth, and mental health. The E-News focuses on specific issues each month (e.g., November’s focus was runaway and homeless youth) and also includes special announcements, hot topics and favorite sites, as well as training and grant information. Issues can be found at http://ntacyt.fmhi.usf.edu/publications/index.htm, or individuals can subscribe to an email list: join-ntac_ytlists.acomp.usf.edu.
To further facilitate the exchange of knowledge between site partners, the NATC-YT initiated the Cross-Site Network for Information Exchange. Consisting of several members from each site, the network hosts Cross Site Forums, held twice a year to provide opportunities for brainstorming strategies helpful in solving issues encountered at individual sites. The next Forum is scheduled for March 2004, to be held at the Utah site. For further information regarding NTAC-YT and other transition issues, please visit the NTAC-YT website or the TIP website; or contact Nicole Deschenes at 813-974-4493 or Hewitt B. “Rusty” Clark at 813-974-6409.
The Department of Child and Family Studies (CFS) is a department of the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida. The faculty and staff of CFS are committed to enhancing the development, mental health and well-being of children and families through leadership in integrating research, theory & practice.