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Senate hearing covers extension of ACEs pilot: $150,000/year sought to sustain child-parent psychotherapy and support Family Resource Centers
Summary
Senate Bill 238 would extend a 2022 pilot that funds Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) and Family Resource Centers; proponents asked for $150,000 per year for CPP training and infrastructure and described outcomes and utilization figures from the pilot.
Senator David Lang, prime sponsor of Senate Bill 238, told the committee the bill seeks to extend an adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) prevention and treatment pilot that was established by 2022’s Senate Bill 444 and set to end July 1, 2025. Lang said supporters are seeking $150,000 per year for 2026 and 2027 to sustain training and workforce development for Child Parent Psychotherapy (CPP) services.
Dr. Cassie Ackley and Deli Champagne of the Center for Trauma Responsive Practice Change testified in support and described CPP as an evidence-based therapy for caregivers with children aged 0–6. Ackley said CPP has served more than 1,000 children in New Hampshire since the program began, and that CPP “has a gold standard, evidence based, for reducing child maltreatment by 65 percent,” and that CPP also reduces caregiver depression and trauma symptoms. Champagne and other witnesses urged continued funding to maintain clinician training and staff development.
Sam Hawkins of NAMI New Hampshire testified that early intervention saves higher-cost care and interactions with the justice system and that investing in community resources is likely to be cost-effective for the state. Jenny O’Higgins, legislative liaison for behavioral health at the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), said the fiscal note worksheet was based on the bill as written and that the department would need to re-run its analysis if the committee adopts an amendment changing the funding request. She confirmed that CPP has been implemented since the 2022 law and that the pilot funds for CPP and Family Resource Centers (FRCs) expire June 30, 2025.
O’Higgins and DHHS staff provided utilization numbers: CPP has been provided to at least 724 child-caregiver dyads since 2020, with 242 dyads in 2024 alone. DHHS staff said FRCs have used prior funding to reach more than 7,000 families statewide and that 14 of 16 FRCs have achieved a quality designation; two are working toward it. DHHS representatives said the FRC facilitating-organization contract and direct contracts with FRCs would continue work if funded; DHHS requested a technical fix so allocations could flow directly to FRCs rather than routing through a facilitating organization contract that does not allow subcontracting.
Senator Lang and committee members discussed inconsistencies in the bill’s fiscal note; Lang said an amendment to reflect the actual funding request would be submitted. Committee members asked for more data on outcomes, utilization, geographic distribution of services, and details about how prior appropriations were spent. DHHS representatives said the prior appropriations had been used and would expire on June 30, 2025 unless renewed.
No committee vote on the bill or an amendment was recorded during this hearing segment; proponents and DHHS agreed more precise fiscal language and reporting detail would be provided to the committee.
Outlook: Supporters urged continuation of the pilot and training funds to maintain statewide capacity for an evidence-based therapy for very young children; DHHS and the bill sponsor said an amendment to clarify funding amounts and allocation flow would be filed for the committee’s consideration.
