The Children’s Mental Health Services Research Center improves the lives of at-risk youth and their families by researching the health and social service systems that care for them. The center is a national leader in research on organizations that provide mental health and child welfare services to youth and families. The center also conducts studies on evidence-based prevention and treatment practices for delinquency, substance abuse, and HIV/AIDS. Much of the center’s work has focused on developing and testing strategies for assessing and changing the cultures and climates of youth-serving organizations to improve their effectiveness.

In operation for more than twenty years, the center’s research has been supported by the National Institute of Mental Health, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the W.T. Grant Foundation, and other public and private funders. In 2012, the Betsey R. Bush Endowed Professorship in Behavioral Health was established at the center to support a nationally known researcher in medicine, social work, psychology, or related field, who is focused on improving services to youth and families at risk.

The center recently established the ARC Institute for Organizational Effectiveness to disseminate the tools and strategies it has designed to help mental health and social service organizations become more effective in meeting the needs of the youth and families they serve.