Grant Proposal Project
Option 2:
Overview – Funding from both State and Federal sources is available to provide mental health services for an expected increase in Orange County of child refugees and their families who have relocated due to the Russo/Ukrainian war. Grant resources will target especially families who have either been directly affected by or survived war-related atrocities, or who were exposed to life-threatening events prior to relocating to the United States. The intention of this grant request is to generate innovative and complimentary mental health support activities (i.e. art therapy, drama therapy, child/adolescent focused group therapy) to concurrent to traditional mental health services being provided by other agencies.
Based on experience with prior conflicts, the County of Orange Health Care Agency predicts that there will be statistically significant growth in the numbers of Ukrainian Refugee families. Emerging reports of atrocities that have occurred during the conflict suggest that many or most families who move to Orange County will have at least some experience with this type of experience. Prior outcome studies from other post-war immigrant waves have shown that children with these exposures are vulnerable to a variety of emotional and psychological problems, including trauma-related disorders such as PTSD and higher risk of Depression and suicidal feelings. Early intervention (i.e. closer to the time of trauma exposure) can improve these outcomes.
Successful proposals must include the following components:
Outreach within Orange County’s Ukrainian community to help identify and make contact with families who are within a target group (have at least one minor under 18 who was exposed to the situations described in the introduction),
Note that Direct Mental Health services are not expected to be provided to children and families within the scope of this grant. Most families will already have established connections with a direct service agency, and the present projects requested will serve as an adjunctive intervention.
Preference will be given to program proposals that emphasize innovative approaches to war-related grief support for children, such as programs that utilize art, drama performance, or media-based creative projects. Preferred projects considered for funding will cite sources professional journals, books, or publications that have demonstrated the use of creative therapies for war-affected youth.
Participatory services with children may be provided at a centralized location in Orange County, such as at a university campus, but transportation funding is not provided within this grant,
Chosen projects will be able to facilitate transition to more intensive service delivery systems such as emergency psychiatric support or inpatient referrals in cases where these services are needed due to the risk of suicidal behavior and trauma-related psychiatric symptoms known to affect this group. The project does not have to provide emergency services directly, but must identify local healthcare institutions (hospitals, emergency teams) who will be contacted as needed.
Additional requirements include an informational resource for parents or caregivers of minor participants, and access to Ukrainian language translation (note that language translation may be an “on-demand” resource). Partnerships or linkage with other, existing community resources engaging in similar services are encouraged, as this is a public-funded grant and not private-funded.