Child Welfare and School Mental Health Practice Group Dana Cunningham, Ph.D. Michael Lindsey, Ph.D., M.S.W., M.P.H.

Our History:  Started as Faith-Community Partnerships Practice Group  Significant interest in needs related to youth in child welfare  Developed new Practice Group last year

Our Goals:  Identify the needs and priorities of youth and families in child welfare  Highlight the role of schools in addressing the needs of youth in foster care  Develop resources that can be used to improve service delivery  Develop collaborative relationships with other organizations that are devoted to the mental health needs of youth and families in child welfare

SharedWork Website  Issue Brief on Foster Care and School Mental Health  Discussion questions on issue brief  Toolkits and resources on advocacy & current initiatives in child welfare  Document listing national organizations that are devoted to child welfare

Recent Activities  Distributed issue brief, “Foster Care and School Mental Health” Identified mental health needs of youth in care Accessing mental health services Youth in special education & foster care Role of schools and school mental health Resources for teachers and child welfare workers Current initiatives  Attempted to obtain feedback from National Community

School Mental Health and Foster Care Initiative  Goal: To effectively integrate and improve school mental health services and ultimate outcomes for children, adolescents, and graduates of Maryland’s foster care system Key Objectives Include: Develop a training curriculum and conduct training related to effective school-based outreach, support, mental health promotion and intervention for youth in foster care in Maryland Schools Provide statewide information and technical support on effective school mental health promotion and intervention for youth in foster care through the website, and a listservwww.schoolmentalhealth.org  Funding - Maryland Mental Health Transformation Grant # 5 U79SM from SAMHSA

Conceptual Framework Foster Care – School Mental Health Interface

Conceptual Framework A Public Mental Health Promotion Approach for Youth in Foster Care

Training Curriculum: School Mental Health and Foster Care: A Training Curriculum for Child Welfare Workers, Teachers, and Clinicians  Module 1: Understanding the Foster Care System  Module 2: Mental Health Needs of Children in Foster Care  Module 3: Understanding Schools and School Mental Health Services  Module 4: Prevention and Mental Health Promotion for Youth in Foster Care in Schools  Module 5: Early Identification and Intervention  Module 6: Confidentiality and Sharing Information  Module 7: Coordinated Service Delivery and Integrated Treatment Planning  Module 8: Evidence-Based Treatment for Children in Foster Care in Schools  Module 9: Family Engagement and Meaningful Involvement  Module 10: Policy and Funding

Challenges connecting to SMH  Schools are difficult systems to navigate  Can be hard to figure out who is providing services to children and adolescents in the school and who would best serve the student  Capacity issues  Schedules – child welfare workers and families may only be available in the later day or evening  Limited or lack of understanding and appreciation about child welfare system.  Services may not be available every day (split FTE), school vacations, and in the summer

Next Steps  Becoming connected with national organizations  Increasing general membership and youth involvement in Practice Group  Identify goals for this year at breakfast discussion group

Discussion  What needs have you observed in youth/families in child welfare in your work?  Are you aware of schools/systems that have effectively negotiated issue of confidentiality?  What national organizations should we outreach to/collaborate with?  How can we keep momentum moving?