The Denton County Federation of Families was awarded the Texas Integrated Funding Initiative through the Department of State Health Services in November 2006. The project began in January of 2007, and although we have experienced many challenges, we are continuing to move forward. We believe the families and community are in need of a collaborative effort to improve our current system.
 

1. TIFI was established to develop Systems of Care for the Texas mental health community serving children and youth diagnosed with emotional, behavioral, and/or mental health disorders.
    
2. The main focus of TIFI is to use participating agencies and families who have received services as partners in the planning, implementation and evaluation of individual service programs, based on their child’s mental health and/or behavioral needs.
    
3. The TIFI is a $70,000 grant to build the foundation of integrating services and coordinate funding pool streams. The TIFI collaborative will create sustainability and prepare the community for the System of Care SAMSHA Grant.
     
4. The SAMHSA opportunity and an established System of Care (SOC) will be the first for Denton County. There are currently four federally funded sites; including Tarrant County, who has received the SAMHSA twice

Goals of the TIFI:

• To recognize families as valuable and essential partners in the development and implementation of an integrated service delivery system.
   
• To foster and maintain local control to allow for better decision-making and enhance community development;
   
• To support communities in managing funds and providers through a single local entity to produce better outcomes for children and their families.