1. Background
1.1. 10 Principles for Best Practice in Expanded School Mental Health
1.1.1. All youth and families can access appropriate care regardless of ability to pay.
1.1.2. Programs are implemented to address needs and strengthen assets for students, families, schools, and communities.
1.1.3. Programs and services focus on reducing barriers to development and learning, are student and family friendly, based on evidence of positive impact.
1.1.4. Students, families, teachers and other important groups are actively involved in the program's development, oversight, evaluation, and continuous improvement.
1.1.5. Quality assessment and improvement activities continually guide and provide feedback to the program.
1.1.6. A continuum of care is provided, including school-wide MH promotion, early intervention, and treatment.
1.1.7. Staff are held to high ethical standards, committed to children, adolescents, and families, and display an energetic, flexible, responsive, and proactive style in delivering services.
1.1.8. Staff are respectful of, and competently address developmental, cultural, and personal differences among students, families, and staff.
1.1.9. Staff build and maintain strong relationships with other MH and health providers and educators in the school, and a theme of interdisciplinary collaboration characterizes care.
1.1.10. MH programs in the school are coordinated with related programs in other community settings.
1.2. Key Terms
1.2.1. School Connectedness
1.2.2. Expanded School Mental Health
1.2.3. School-to-Prison Pipeline.
1.2.4. ACEs and barriers to learning.
1.2.5. RTI
1.2.6. IDEA
1.2.7. Confidentiality issues: HIPAA and FERPA
1.2.8. PBIS
1.3. Evolution of the role for CAPs in schools.
2. Recommendations for School Professionals
2.1. Classroom-Based Approach
2.1.1. Open the classroom to available supports.
2.1.2. Use classroom management strategies to reduce out-of-class referrals.
2.1.3. Enhance and personalize professional development.
2.2. Crisis Response
2.2.1. Address crises immediately so students can resume learning.
2.2.2. Provide follow-up services as indicated.
2.2.3. Form a school-focused crisis team to formulate a response plan.
2.2.4. Work with neighborhood schools and community agencies to integrate planning efforts.
2.3. Transition Supports
2.3.1. Welcome and social support programs for newcomers.
2.3.2. Provide daily transition programs.
2.3.3. Offer summer or inter-session programs, including catch-up, recreation, and enrichment.
2.4. Home Involvement in Schooling
2.4.1. Provide support services for family members at home, addressing basic needs and education.
2.4.2. Improve communication mechanism for connecting home and school.
2.4.3. Recruit families to strengthen school and community.
2.5. Community Outreach
2.5.1. Plan and implement outreach to recruit a wide range of community resources.
2.5.2. Reach out to students (and their families) who don't come to school regularly.
2.5.3. Connect school and community efforts to promote child and youth development.
2.6. Student and Family Assistance
2.6.1. Provide extra support as soon as needed in the least disruptive manner possible.
2.6.2. Enhance access to direct interventions for physical and mental health, and economic assistance.
2.6.3. Develop mechanism for resource coordination and integration to avoid duplication and promote braided funding.
3. Recommendations for CAPs
3.1. Understand the local system of care that serves children.
3.1.1. What are the systems?
3.1.1.1. Juvenile Justice
3.1.1.2. Health Care
3.1.1.3. Foster, Welfare, Child Protection
3.1.2. How and where do they intersect?
3.2. Economics of school-based MH
3.2.1. Understand how State and Federal funds are allocated to students with emotional-behavioral disorders.
3.2.2. Contracts with schools and districts
3.2.3. Coding and billing in school-based health centers
3.3. Evidence-based assessments and interventions, organized by a) universal prevention; b) indicated; c) targeted.
3.3.1. Child and Family Level
3.3.2. Classroom Level
3.3.2.1. The Good Behavior Game
3.3.3. School Level
3.3.3.1. Mental Health First Aid
3.3.3.2. NAMI's Parents and Teachers as Allies
3.3.3.3. Anti-Bullying
3.3.3.3.1. Assessment
3.3.3.3.2. Prevention and intervention
3.3.3.4. CBITS
3.3.4. School District Level
3.3.4.1. Training school professionals on MH
3.4. Special Populations
3.4.1. Autism spectrum disorders
3.4.1.1. School-based social skills groups
3.4.2. Hearing and vision impaired
3.4.3. Substance-use disorders
3.4.4. Developmental disabilities
3.4.5. Conduct disorders
3.5. Understand key screening and assessment tools.
3.5.1. Achievement tests to identify potential learning disabilities.
3.5.2. Psychological tests to identify pockets of cognitive strengths and weaknesses.
3.5.3. Psychiatric screening tools that can be shared with appropriate school professionals.
3.6. Critical transitions.
3.6.1. Pre-school and school readiness
3.6.2. Post-secondary and college age
3.7. Telemedicine in schools.
3.8. School-based health centers
3.9. Collaborating with advocacy organizations
3.9.1. US Dept of Ed Office of Civil Rights
3.9.2. Disability Rights Advocates
3.9.3. SPED Advocacy Organization