The overarching goal of the proposed Advanced Center to Improve Pediatric Mental Health Care (ACIPMHC) is to improve care for children with mental health problems by achieving greater integration of evidence-based practice in community care settings, particularly in the Child Welfare and Mental Health service sectors. The Community Network Core (CMC) of the ACIPMHC is designed to support the development of collaborative partnerships between researchers and community stakeholders, including consumers (youth and family members), policy makers, and providers. The first aim of the CNC is to formalize and extend existing collaborative relationships with public service sector stakeholders and form a Community Network Core Board (CNC-B) with key policy, practice and consumer partners. The second aim is to collaboratively pursue and refine ACIPMHC aims that encourage the integration of evidence-based knowledge and practice in real-world clinical care through: prioritizing service needs through joint analysis of multi-sector administrative datasets, fostering partnerships to support proposed studies, designing new studies in collaboration, and supporting in-vivo training opportunities in research-practice partnerships for investigators and community stakeholders. The third aim is to evaluate the processes and outcomes of the CNC with qualitative and quantitative research methods and apply findings to the development of researchpractice partnership models and methods. The fourth aim is to provide consultation and technical assistance to ACIPMHC investigators and partners, as well as to other academic and community sites. Building the CNC collaboration we will use a staged theory in which the goal is to move from our current stage of investigator initiated research, through joint formulation of research questions, to true communitybased research where partners jointly determine research questions, methods for conducting the research, and the dissemination of information. In addition, a collaboratively developed, youth generated and led pilot study will be conducted. We will also work to refine an evolving model illustrating the structures and arocesses of collaboration that impact the achievement of partnership synergy and ultimate success of Dartnership efforts. The Co-Pis represent ACIPMHC, and San Diego County Child Welfare and Children's Vlental Health Services. Members include sector and provider representatives, consumer representatives (youth and family members), and representatives from the California Department of Mental Health and the alifornia Institute of Mental Health. Activities will be coordinated by an Executive Coordinator in conjunction with the CNC Co-Pis.