The SESS multisite collaborative research initiative: Establishing common ground

Multidisciplinary intervention approaches are needed for meeting service needs for families in which substance abuse and mental health disorders may be interfering with child-rearing. Experiences from the Starting Early Starting Smart (SESS) initiative, a 12-site national collaborative investigation of integrating behavioural health services in early childhood and primary health care service settings for children aged 0-5 years and their families and caregivers, are described. This 4-year applied research initiative was co-funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the US Department of Health and Human Services and Casey Family Programs, a private operating foundation. SESS, which was developed and implemented in 12 geographically and culturally diverse cities in the USA during 1997-2001, encouraged federal, state, and local public/private partnerships. Opportunities and challenges in using an inclusive, consensus-based, stakeholder model to maximize study relevance and utility for researchers, practitioners, and fiscal sponsors are discussed, and lessons for multidisciplinary, multisite research collaborations are identified.