Children's Recovery from Trauma Act

To amend the Public Health Service Act to reauthorize and update the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative for grants to address the problems of individuals who experience trauma and violence related stress. 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Children’s Recovery from Trauma Act 2. Grants to address the problems of individuals who experience trauma and violence related stress Section 582 of the Public Health Service Act ( 42 U.S.C. 290hh–1 582. Grants to address the problems of individuals who experience trauma and violence related stress (a) In general The Secretary shall award grants, contracts or cooperative agreements to public and nonprofit private entities, as well as to Indian tribes and tribal organizations, for the purpose of developing and maintaining programs that provide for— (1) the continued operation of the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative (referred to in this section as the NCTSI (2) the development of knowledge with regard to evidence-based practices for identifying and treating mental, behavioral, and biological disorders of children and youth resulting from witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event. (b) Priorities In awarding grants, contracts or cooperative agreements under subsection (a)(2) (related to the development of knowledge on evidence-based practices for treating mental, behavioral, and biological disorders associated with psychological trauma), the Secretary shall give priority to universities, hospitals, mental health agencies, and other community-based child-serving programs that have established clinical and research experience in the field of trauma-related mental disorders. (c) Coordinating center In carrying out subsection (a), the Secretary shall award one cooperative agreement to a comprehensive national coordinating center to oversee NCTSI activities (in this section referred to as the NCTSI coordinating center (d) Child outcome data The NCTSI coordinating center shall collect, analyze, and report NCTSI-wide child outcome and process data for the purpose of establishing the effectiveness, implementation, and clinical utility of early identification and delivery of evidence-based treatment and services delivered to children and families served by the NCTSI grantees. (e) Training The NCTSI coordinating center shall oversee the continuum of interprofessional training initiatives in evidence-based and trauma-informed treatments, interventions, and practices offered to NCTSI grantees and providers in all child-serving systems. (f) Prevention The NCTSI coordinating center shall include a focus on the development of prevention services and resources as they relate to the prevention of exposure to traumatic events and to early intervention programs focused on the prevention of the long term consequences of child trauma. (g) Research The NCTSI coordinating center shall establish an ongoing collaboration with Federal research institutions, including at the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for the purpose of sharing NCTSI expertise and evaluation data, conducting joint evaluation projects, and informing national research priorities related to child trauma. (h) Dissemination The NCTSI coordinating center shall collaborate with the Secretary in the dissemination of evidence-based and trauma-informed interventions, treatments, products, and other resources to all child-serving systems, collaborating Federal agencies, and policymakers. (i) Review The Secretary shall establish consensus-driven, in-person or teleconference review of NCTSI applications by child trauma experts and review criteria related to expertise and experience related to child trauma and evidence-based practices. (j) Geographical distribution The Secretary shall ensure that grants, contracts or cooperative agreements under subsection (a) are distributed equitably among the regions of the United States and among urban and rural areas. Notwithstanding the previous sentence, expertise and experience in the field of trauma-related disorders shall be prioritized in the awarding of such grants as required under subsection (b). (k) Evaluation The Secretary, as part of the application process, shall require that each applicant for a grant, contract or cooperative agreement under subsection (a) submit a plan for the rigorous evaluation of the activities funded under the grant, contract or agreement, including both process and outcome evaluation, and the submission of an evaluation at the end of the project period. (l) Duration of awards With respect to a grant, contract or cooperative agreement under subsection (a), the period during which payments under such an award will be made to the recipient shall be 6 years. Such grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements may be renewed. Expertise and experience in the field of trauma-related disorders shall be a priority for new and continuing awards. (m) Authorization of appropriations There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section, $50,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2016 through 2020. .

Summary: Children's Recovery from Trauma Act This bill amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support programs that provide for the continued operation of the National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative (NCTSI) and for research on evidence-based practices for identifying and treating children and youth with mental, behavioral, and biological disorders resulting from witnessing or experiencing a traumatic event. HHS must award a cooperative agreement to a comprehensive national coordinating center to oversee NCTSI activities. The NCTSI coordinating center must: (1) collect, analyze, and report data to establish the effectiveness of early identification and delivery of treatment and services; (2) focus on the development of services and resources to prevent the long-term consequences of child trauma; (3) collaborate with federal research institutions; and (4) collaborate with HHS in the dissemination of evidence-based and trauma-informed interventions, treatments, products, and other resources.