The Next Steps Conference was one of a series of meetings held for the purpose of increasing the capacity of family members, professionals, and other interested citizens to work together on behalf of children who have serious emotional disorders and to shape an agenda for improved services. The conference was organized around four major issues: family support services; access to appropriate educational services; relinquishing custody as a means of obtaining services; and coordination of services at the individual family level (case management). During the conference, parent-professional teams presented information about the themes, convened into working groups to set goals, held sessions on developing parent organizations and building coalitions, and developed strategies to meet their goals. Participants also discussed establishing a national network to improve services. This proceedings document presents: a conference agenda; introductory remarks; presentations on the four theme issues; guidelines on organization at the national level, state level, and local level; and goals and recommendations. (JDD)