Cross-cultural Training and Technical Assistance Program for mental health providers serving immigrants and refugees (2007-08)

The recent explosion in the foreign-born and limited-English speaking population has caught the U.S. human service system unprepared. Case managers, therapists, and other human service professionals often have difficulty working successfully with these clients. In 2005, the Foundation awarded a grant to the Center for Multicultural and Human Services (CMHS) to provide support to establish it as a recognized technical assistance center for organizations that seek guidance in developing mental health and social services systems that are more responsive to the needs of vulnerable immigrants and refugee populations. Under this first grant, the agency developed a wide array of materials, including a detailed study case of CMHS, tools for assessing agency readiness for multicultural service work, a research program that is collecting and analyzing data on five key CMHS programs, and a draft business plan that outlines key program and financial objectives in steps through September 2010. For this next phase, CMHS will launch a cross-cultural training and technical assistance program (TTAP) that will serve human service professionals and agencies nationwide. The purpose of TTAP is to help the human service agencies across the United States develop knowledge, skills, and confidence in working with a client base that is increasingly multicultural. This three-year grant will bring to life the national training arm at CMHS by putting the necessary administrative structures in place, linking with potential partners across the United States, generating appropriate publicity, and identifying and creating other needed materials.

Grant Details

Amount Awarded $748,908.00

Awarded on: 12/1/2006

Time frame: 12/1/2006 - 3/31/2008

Grant Number: 58384