Title 42 › Chapter CHAPTER 6A— - PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER III–A— - SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION › Part Part E— - Children With Serious Emotional Disturbances › § 290ff–1
When a public agency gets a grant under this program, it must set up and run one or more community "systems of care" so every child with a serious emotional disturbance who has access can get the required mental health services. The system must be built in a chosen community and include the needed public agencies and nonprofit groups. The agency can give grants or contracts to those groups. Partners must sign agreements, coordinate services, and create an office that serves as the access point, coordinates care, and gives information to the public. The system must seek collaboration from all local human‑service agencies (for example, mental health, schools, child welfare, juvenile justice). Children must be able to use the system through age 21. The system must offer eight kinds of services: diagnostic/evaluation; outpatient care (counseling, family therapy, med review); emergency care available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week; intensive home‑based services to avoid out‑of‑home placement; intensive day treatment; respite care; therapeutic foster or small residential care (group homes of no more than 10 children); and help moving from child to adult services. The system must sign memorandums with medical, educational, vocational, and protection/advocacy providers and work with Medicaid, IDEA parts B and C, and other programs to facilitate services. Grant funds and required non‑Federal matches cannot pay for non‑mental‑health services, buy or improve real property, pay room and board in small residential programs (10 or fewer children), pay room and board or inpatient care in larger residential or hospital settings (except for intensive home‑based and outpatient services), or pay for most training except certain authorized short courses (up to 2 days) or specified training. The system must provide case management, coordinate and reassess services, tell families about progress, help families find and get other public benefits, deliver services in culturally and linguistically appropriate ways, not discriminate, aim for the least restrictive appropriate setting, and do outreach to find children early. The system may separate males and females in treatment housing when appropriate, and grants may not be used to pay for legal services or other services the rules forbid. The Secretary may waive some service rules for Indian tribes or certain U.S. territories after peer review if the system is family‑centered and uses the least restrictive appropriate setting.
Full Legal Text
The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
42 U.S.C. § 290ff–1
Title 42 — The Public Health and Welfare
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73