Grants Dashboard

UCLA and Duke University have partnered to serve as the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress (NCCTS) for the past 19 years, creating a national infrastructure to meet the increasingly complex needs of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), while expanding the understanding of and response to child trauma. The goals and objectives of the proposed project build on our lessons learned leading the NCTSN since 2001. Goals for the next five years include: raising the standard of child trauma care by supporting development, dissemination, and measurement of effective clinical and service intervention approaches; increasing the quality, quantity, and accessibility of training on child trauma delivered to the field by the NCCTS and the Network; expanding the trauma-informed workforce and increasing the number of trauma-informed, child-serving organizations and systems; leading, mobilizing and harnessing the child trauma expertise of the Network and key partners to respond to emerging national issues and crises; expanding the availability of science-based child trauma information and resources for the public and child-serving professionals; reducing disparities in terms of access, engagement, and outcomes for child trauma services; providing the structure for collaboration and knowledge exchange that builds capacity of Network members to meet grant goals and contribute to the field at local, regional, and national levels; and analyzing and reporting data across multiple datasets, to document the impact of the Network and inform the child trauma field. As the organizational backbone for the NCTSN, the UCLA-Duke University NCCTS has built strong relationships with SAMHSA and the Network, as well as numerous partnerships at the local, state, and national levels. Our approach includes resource development (e.g., policy briefs, data reports, and materials for family and youth); training (ranging from annual mini-conferences and train-the-trainers to a multi-year Breakthrough Series Collaborative); consultation and capacity building (e.g., training Network members as coaches on the NCTSN Trauma-Informed Organizational Assessment or as facilitators for the Core Curriculum on Childhood Trauma); promoting integration and collaboration across the Network through communities of practice, collaborative groups, and onboarding of new grantee cohorts; communication and resource dissemination; data collection and reporting; and increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion. The NCCTS has the vision, expertise, experience and capacity to address the major issues that are key to creating a comprehensive and effective national approach to child trauma in the US, as well as the additional challenges of COVID-19, racial equity, youth suicide, substance abuse, natural and manmade disasters, and bereavement. The NCCTS plan for data collection and performance measurement will enable us to effectively manage and monitor Network activities; enhance the development, dissemination, and implementation of Network programs; and ultimately improve outcomes for traumatized children, adolescents, and their families.