Friday, April 19, 2024
4/19/2024
The Washington State Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction’s Project AWARE - “Help is Down the Hall: A Sustainable School-based Mental Health Model” is committed to developing and sustaining infrastructure for school-based mental health programs and services. The Washington Project AWARE initiative proposes to enhance existing collaborative partnerships between state and regional systems to promote the healthy development of school-aged youth and to prevent youth violence through an integrated tiered school-based mental health (SBMH) service delivery model that is recovery-oriented, trauma-informed and equity-based. The overarching goals of the project are to: 1) Increase awareness of behavioral health issues among school-age youth, school staff, and families by growing mental health literacy and fostering resilience through culturally relevant, developmentally appropriate, and trauma-informed training and de-stigmatization efforts; 2) Increase access and connect youth and families to integrated school-based based behavioral health services and supports.; and, 3) Implement policy to enhance school supports that promote and sustain healthy social and emotional development of school-aged youth. The population served through this initiative is K-12 students and school staff in three regions in Washington State, including Educational Service District 112 (southwest); Educational Service District 105 (central); and Spokane Public Schools (northeast). These Local Education Agencies (LEAs) serve nearly 200,00 students in 56 public school districts, representing a broad and diverse student population. Data indicate considerable mental health related issues among these populations, including 35% to 40% of youth across the three LEAs reporting current depression, and 16% to 22% having contemplated suicide in the past year (HYS, 2021). The LEAs included in this proposal are strategically ready to advance school-based mental health support systems in Washington by having integrated licensed Behavioral Health Agencies within their core service delivery systems. This regional service delivery model will allow for quick launch and placement of licensed mental health staff, accustomed to providing school-based supports, and allowing for sustainability to be a focal point from day one of the project. Project activities will include conduct of LEA needs assessments, use of the SHAPE system, training and awareness activities, including targeted destigmatization efforts, and a focus on youth safety and wellness including trainings in Hazelden’s Lifelines Suicide Prevention Curriculum. Through the SBMH systems framework, LEA employed MH therapists will work in collaboration with school staff to assess, refer, triage, case manage, provide treatment, and monitor student progress. School staff, with support from the LEA project managers, will deliver Universal/Tier 1 supports, while SBMH therapists, in coordination with existing school staff, will deliver Tier 2 and Tier 3 services; SBMH therapists will be embedded into the school system delivering MH services that are recovery-oriented, trauma-informed, and equity-based. To meet project goals, objectives will measure the implementation of Universal/Tier 1 best-practices; the number of trauma-informed and resilience focused social emotional learning professional development opportunities offered; and the number of mental health prevention and awareness trainings (Goal One); the implementation of early intervention and treatment best-practices; including the number of youth screened, referred, and engaged in SBMH services (Goal Two); and the number of policy changes implemented because of this funding, as well as the number of schools that adopt and implement suicide awareness and prevention training policy (Goal 3). Across the 3 LEAs, the project will serve nearly 24,000 school-aged children and their families, and over 3,000 school staff each year, with nearly 108,000 persons en
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).
