This brief paper summarizes three papers and a response presented at a symposium examining longitudinal comparison studies of federally funded community mental health services (CMHS) for children and their families. Emphasis was on comparing the system of care approach to a more traditional approach. The symposium provided an update on the status of the studies by: (1) addressing the policy implications of these studies; (2) providing an update on outcomes study data collected; (3) reporting on data collected on families' services experiences; and (4) comparing service system development between CMHS-funded and comparison communities. The paper provides summaries of the following presentations: an introduction by E. Wayne Holden, Chair; an overview on the current status of the longitudinal comparison studies by Rolando L. Santiago, Director of Program Evaluation in the Child, Adolescent and Family Branch at the Center for Mental Health Services; a report by Mario Hernandez, University of South Florida, on the development and results of the Systems of Care Practice Review, a measure implemented in the Phase I comparison studies to evaluate families' experiences with care; and a report by Ana Maria Brannan of ORC Macro on preliminary results of systems level assessments conducted in early 1999 across the six communities participating in the longitudinal comparison study. Discussion by Trina W. Osher, a parent and advocate, raises questions about the generalization of the findings (which supported the system of care approach) and urges greater refinement of evaluation systems. (DB)