Center for Mental Health Services
Division of State and Community Development Systems

State Planning and Systems Development Branch - Protection and Advocacy

What is the State Planning and Systems Development Branch?

The State Planning and Systems Development Branch administers programs to award grants and provide technical assistance to States and Territories for providing mental health services to adults with serious mental illnesses and children and adolescents with serious emotional disturbances. One program funds comprehensive community-based systems of care for these individuals, and another provides funds to States to protect and advocate for the rights of persons with mental illness in residential facilities and to investigate reports of abuse and neglect.

What are the goals of the State Planning and Systems Development Branch?

In the area of community mental health services, the goals of the State Planning and Systems Development Branch are to:

Improve access to community mental health service systems and provide funding for public systems of mental health care when an individual's insurance benefits are exhausted.
Involve consumers of mental health services, family members, State officials, and service providers in developing community-based systems of care for people with mental illness.
Develop a range of services, treatment options, and resources to assist persons with mental illness living in the community.
Coordinate the delivery of mental health services with other support services such as employment, housing, and education.
Reduce the use of hospitalization for people with mental illness.
Address the needs for services among special populations, such as homeless persons with mental illness and people with mental illness who live in rural areas.

In the area of protection and advocacy, the goals of the State Planning and Systems Development Branch are to:

Protect and advocate for the rights of people with mental illness in residential treatment facilities and for 90 days following discharge from a facility.
Investigate, correct, and prevent abuse, neglect, and rights violations of persons with mental illness receiving treatment in residential facilities.

Who does the State Planning and Systems Development Branch serve?

The State Planning and Systems Development Branch serves the extensive and complex needs of adults with mental illnesses and children with emotional disturbances by providing funding to States to develop comprehensive community-based systems of care. The Branch's Protection and Advocacy Program provides grants to States to investigate victims of abuse, neglect, or rights violations in public and private mental health treatment facilities. Almost 50 million adults in the United States are affected by mental illness in any given year, and more than 5 million adults and children are diagnosed each year with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, severe depression, and other serious mental illnesses.

What does the State Planning and Systems Development Branch do?

State Planning and Systems Development Branch activities are divided into two areas: community mental health services and protection and advocacy. In the area of community mental health services, the State Planning and Systems Development Branch:

Awards grants to States and Territories to support existing public mental health services and encourage the development of community-based systems of care for adults with serious mental illnesses and children with serious emotional disturbances.
Evaluates and reports on the strengths of state mental health care systems and looks for opportunities to enhance them.
Oversees the development and implementation of mental health plans for States and Territories that apply for funding.
Promotes partnerships among Federal, State, and local government agencies to improve the delivery of mental health services.

In the area of protection and advocacy, the State Planning and Systems Development Branch awards grants to States for programs to protect the rights of people with mental illness in residential treatment facilities and for 90 days following discharge from a facility. States use these Federal funds to:

Engage in administrative, legal, advocacy, and legislative activities related to protecting the rights of persons with mental illness.
Investigate and resolve complaints for individuals.
Represent persons in class action suits.
Act on behalf of groups such as hospital wards and consumer organizations.
Respond to requests for information.
Conduct education and advocacy training for mental health administrators, legislators, protection and advocacy staff, consumers of mental health services and their family members, and community organizations.

The State Planning and Systems Development Branch is part of the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS). CMHS is an agency of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. CMHS serves as the focal point for federal efforts to make high-quality community-based services available and accessible for people with or at risk of developing mental illness and their families

For free information about protection and advocacy systems - including publications, references, and referrals to local and national resources and organizations - call 1.800.789.2647; (TDD) 1.866.889.2647.

KEN95-0021
1/2003