How data and evaluation are transforming accountability in youth mental health
The future of youth mental health is rooted in accountability. Discover how ICF empowers leaders to transform surveillance tools and evaluation data into lasting change and sustainable funding.
Youth mental health in the U.S. remains a critical concern. While overall youth mental health showed improvement in the 2024 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), 10% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 still reported having serious thoughts of suicide in the past year.
For federal, state, and local leaders, these numbers highlight an urgent imperative: every investment must demonstrate measurable impact—and the only path to assessing impact is through data. Data-driven programming maximizes resource investment through targeted intervention and opportunities to scale interventions that truly save lives.
Turning data into decisions
Two complementary components drive actionable insight and impact: surveillance systems and program evaluations. Surveillance systems, such as CDC’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS), tell us where and what—the magnitude, trends, and differences. Evaluation shows what works for whom—and builds the credible evidence needed to scale effective strategies and sustain funding.
Surveillance: Identifying need and directing resources
Ongoing surveillance efforts track trends, identify needs, and form the foundation for program design and deployment. Evaluation data then guides decisions at every level. Schools refine training and interventions to reduce absenteeism and risky behaviors. States and districts justify investments in staff, programs, and crisis interventions. Programs use data to reallocate resources toward what works—maximizing impact and minimizing waste. Together, these efforts ensure that funding supports the interventions with the greatest return for youth and communities.
YRBSS provides a foundational lens. In 2023, it captured key behaviors linked to youth mental health—such as persistent sadness, bullying, and suicide risk—across jurisdictions. These insights help leaders identify emerging trends, coordinate responses across schools and communities, reduce duplication of effort, and direct resources where they matter most. ICF partners with CDC to help leaders interpret YRBSS data—supporting federal, state, and local jurisdictions in administering the survey and translating insight into action. This work aligns with SAMHSA priorities around early prevention, public safety, and accountability through rigorous evaluation.
Evaluation drives decisions—and improvement on the ground
Surveillance provides the big picture, but program-level evaluation shows what works on the ground. By combining national surveillance with program-specific evaluations, agencies can understand both the scope of the problem and the most effective strategies to address it. Together, data from surveillance and evaluations can build trust, inform decisions, and drive continuous improvement.
We can use evaluations as a critical step in determining if continued community-based program implementation, like connecting young people to care and treatment, ultimately has a positive impact on youth suicidal behavior across the nation.
Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) and TISS (School-Based Trauma Informed Support Services) are federal grant programs supporting schools in building sustainable, trauma-informed mental health infrastructures to better identify youth in need of mental health support, refer them to services, and facilitate access to support. ICF evaluates both implementation and outcomes, using tools like the Project AWARE-TISS Online Data System to gather data and provide real-time insights. As a result, our national cross-site evaluation shows that among grantees, 85% of youth identified were referred to services. Of those that received a referral, 89% received services within three months between July and September 2025.
The Garrett Lee Smith (GLS) Youth Suicide Prevention Program funds comprehensive community-based suicide prevention programming. ICF helps SAMHSA evaluate implementation, outcomes, and long-term impact of these strategies. Across communities and their institutions, youth at risk for suicide are being identified and connected to care. As a result, evidence suggests that fewer youth are attempting suicide and dying by suicide in GLS-funded communities as compared to other communities.
Together, these evaluations underscore the importance of data-informed practice and collectively provide a clear picture of programs that make a positive on youth mental health and well-being in the United States, as well as measurable reductions in suicide-related behaviors through GLS programs.
ROI: Impact that matters
The needle is moving in the right direction, but there is much work to be done.
When agencies can monitor need and target resources and show what works, for whom, and at what cost, they can:
- Reform youth early identification and system response infrastructure.
- Secure grants and justify budget increases with credible, timely evidence.
- Scale interventions that deliver measurable outcomes.
- Reallocate resources from low‑yield activities to high‑impact strategies.
- Reassure communities and policymakers that programs are producing real results.
This is how surveillance and evaluation work hand-in-hand to convert finite resources into durable systems of care—not only revealing what works but unlocking funding to sustain and scale it.
Partnering for measurable impact
At ICF, we help federal, state, and local agencies turn data into action. Through partnerships with CDC, SAMHSA, states, and health agencies nationwide, we implement surveillance systems that provide the data used for program response. We also design evaluations that provide credible, actionable insights, align with federal priorities, and help secure sustainable funding that measurably improves youth mental health.
What leaders can do now to make youth mental health programs count:
1. Start with surveillance to define need: Use YRBSS and similar systems to prioritize populations, geographies, and drivers.
2. Build light‑lift evaluation into program design: Clarify outcomes, select feasible measures, and establish data flows early.
3. Use rapid‑feedback cycles: Empower schools and community providers with timely insights to improve training, referral pathways, and engagement.
4. Document outcomes for accountability: Align with statutory requirements (e.g., Garrett Lee Smith Memorial Act) and your funder’s priorities to strengthen current and future applications.
5. Translate evidence into funding strategies: Turn results into compelling narratives, performance dashboards, and cost‑effectiveness indicators for decision‑makers.
At ICF, we know that data alone doesn’t change lives—people do. That’s why we help agencies, schools, and communities turn evidence into action, shaping programs that truly improve youth mental health. From need identification to evaluation planning to performance measurement and sustainable funding strategies, our experts partner with you every step of the way to move from data to action.
Let’s talk about how surveillance and evaluation can strengthen your next initiative.