Title 42 › Chapter 6A— PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE › Subchapter III–A— SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION › Part E— Children With Serious Emotional Disturbances › § 290ff–1
Requires public agencies that get these grants to set up and run one or more local "systems of care" so children with a serious emotional disturbance can get specific mental health services. The system must be built in a chosen community, include the public agencies and nonprofits needed to provide the services, use agreements to coordinate those agencies, and have an office where children get access, coordination, and public information. The system must work with all local human service agencies (like mental health, schools, child welfare, and juvenile justice). It must serve each child through age 21. Mental health services must include eight types: evaluation and diagnosis; outpatient counseling (individual, group, family), consultation, and medication management; emergency services 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 and small residential homes (group homes caring for not more than 10 children); and help moving from child to adult services. The system must sign memorandums with medical (non-mental) providers, schools, vocational and protection/advocacy providers to make services available, but grant money and required matching funds cannot be used to pay for non-mental-health services. The system must help manage each child’s case: coordinate services, reassess needs, tell families about progress under the child’s service plan, and help families apply for other federal, state, or local benefits. Services must fit the child’s culture, be given in a way families can understand, not discriminate (race, religion, national origin, sex, disability, or age), keep children in the least restrictive appropriate setting, and include outreach to find kids early. Grant funds may not be used to buy or fix real estate, to pay room and board in most residential programs, or for most training except that specifically allowed by the statute and short continuing-education courses no longer than 2 days. The Secretary may waive some service rules for Indian tribes and certain territories after peer review if the program is family-centered and uses the least restrictive appropriate care.
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 5, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60