Over the past ten years a tremendous amount of research has been done to identify treatment and support services that have demonstrated effectiveness in promoting recovery from severe and persistent mental illness. There is now consensus around a core of services that can be considered evidenced based best practice. The state plan refers to such services and requires the development their development in our communities. One of these services is Assertive Community Treatment Teams.

NAMI North Carolina has been a leader in calling on the state to identify the best practice services it will require all communities to offer. We also have called on the state to require that these services reflect the essential elements that research has shown makes these services "best practice." For ACT Teams, for example, this means requiring that services provided by a team that is responsible for all client needs, high case manager to client ratio (roughly 10 clients per team member is recommended), services provided in clients’ natural setting, 24-hour coverage, shared caseloads among clinicians, flexible direct services, broad team skills and training (team has a psychiatrist, vocational specialist, nurse, substance abuse specialist, etc.), and a client advisory mechanisms that provides oversight of the service While ACT Teams are an essential best practice, a continuum of best practice services is needed in our communities to support recovery.

NAMI North Carolina will continue its leadership role in advocating for the adoption of best practice services in North Carolina. This includes not only defining these services, but providing training, adequate funding, and monitoring to ensure fidelity to best practice standards.