During the last several decades, family members have gained progressively more central roles in their children’s mental health care. In the past the child was viewed as a patient, a passive recipient of professional treatment, and the family had no role beyond observing and supporting the service system. Later, the role of families increased, as they became participants in the planning and delivery of services for their children. However, in recent years, families have been recognized as full partners in their children’s care.

During the 1970s and 1980s the family movement in children’s mental health began to take its current shape. In 1969 the National Institute of Mental Health sponsored a Joint Commission on the Mental Health of Children. The Commission’s findings were that children with serious emotional disturbances did not generally receive effective mental health services1. At this time the federal government began concerted efforts to ensure that mental health services for children responded to the needs of children and their families. In 1982 a landmark book published in the field of children’s mental health, Unclaimed Children, by Jane Knitzer2 explained the need for developing services that integrated families as partners in their children’s care. To that end Congress appropriated funds for a new children’s mental health initiative in 1984, the Child and Adolescent Service System Program (CASSP), and a number of state and local family-run organizations emerged or were strengthened through this program. The system of care movement, also initiated in the mid 80s, dovetailed in many of its values and strategies with the family movement.

Founding Mothers of UACF: Nancy May, Karen Hart, and Carolyn Cooper

Whereas the 1980s was a period of development, the 1990s was a decade in which dramatic expansion of the family organization movement took place. It was at this time that United Advocates for Children and Families (UACF) was birthed from the family movement. The organization was incorporated in 1992. The core mission of UACF has remained the same since its incorporation, that being to improve the quality of life for all children and youth with mental, emotional, and behavioral challenges and to eliminate institutional discrimination and social stigma. UACF has grown significantly from its start-up period when the organization consisted of a 10 person Board of Directors comprised of very strong family advocates interested in building values-driven, children’s mental health systems in CA. In 1998, the organization garnered resources for staff. In 2000, they hired an Executive Director who worked to improve the organizations legislative advocacy strategies as well as their training products. They were awarded a national contract in 2001 to create the UACF Statewide Family Network Technical Assistance Center (TA Center). The TA Center provides training and technical assistance to 43 other statewide family organizations that are funded by Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The purpose of the training is to build the organizational capacity of the SAMHSA funded family organizations. To learn more about the UACF TA Center, please visit: www.tacenter.net.

In August of 2006, the current Chief Executive Officer, Oscar Wright was hired. Along with many fresh and innovative ideas, Mr. Wright has introduced a new program in the agency called ExCEL (Excellence for our Children, Educators and Leaders). ExCEL is being developed to create a greater capacity and collaboration with mental health stakeholders statewide, public and private.

UACF currently operates 3 programs to meet its mission, a direct service program in 2 CA counties, a statewide advocacy and training program, and a national training and technical assistance center. The organization has a culturally and racially diverse staff of 14. With the passing of the Mental Health Services Act, UACF’s primary goal right now in CA is to assist independent family organizations at the county level to identify their missions, incorporate, and build intentional and effective strategies to transform CA mental health service delivery system for children.

1. National Institute of Mental Health. (1969). Crisis in child mental health: Challenge for the 70's. Report of the Joint Commission on Mental Health of Children. Bethesda, MD: Author.

2. Knitzer, Jane (1982). Unclaimed children: The failure of public responsibility to children and adolescents in need of mental health services. Children's Defense Fund, Washington, D.C.