information for practice

This report focuses on adults with SMI served by the public mental health system. It aims to identify and describe the range of SDC programs for this group currently being pursued by states and bring together existing evidence relating to the impact of these programs on individuals and on state resources. In doing so, it attempts to contribute to ongoing debate about effective strategies for improving the quality and outcomes of the public mental health system. It is early in the development of self-direction for individuals with SMI and the number of consumers currently served by these programs remains very small. Therefore, the findings and conclusions presented here are preliminary and further investigation will be required before definite conclusions can be drawn. The report is aimed primarily at state and local-level policy-makers and individuals in consumer or other advocacy organizations who are interested in self-direction and want to learn from the experiences of other states in shaping their own approach to self-direction. It is hoped that the report will also be of interest to a broader policy audience interested in improving the quality of mental health services, as well as those interested in self-direction across disability groups.