We provide an overview of the National Evaluation of the Comprehensive Community Mental Health Services for Children and Their Families Program. This overview serves as an introduction to the accompanying articles, which report on specific aspects of the national evaluation conducted within the original 22 grantee communities funded from 1993 to 1999. The history and underlying foundations of the evaluation are presented. Specific evaluation questions and components are outlined, and issues that evolved out of the process of conducting this large, multisite evaluation are discussed. Future directions for the ongoing evaluation being conducted within 45 newly funded communities are highlighted. We conclude with a summary of the six articles that comprise the remainder of this special issue.
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