Coordinators address mental health needs: Intermediate School District 287 / Minnesota.A Project aimed at addressing the mental health needs of youth in public schools resulted in Intermediate School District 287 in Plymouth, Minn., being named the state's winner in the 2007 National Civic Star Award competition. The Family School Coordinator Project began several years ago when Hennepin County, Minn., and its school and community leaders created a multisector policy group, the Helmepin Alliance for Families and Children, to support integrated mental health services health services Managed care The benefits covered under a health contract for children. The founding of the alliance was largely driven by concerned citizens, parents, county and private-service providers and school leaders who were dissatisfied dis·sat·is·fied adj. Feeling or exhibiting a lack of contentment or satisfaction. dis·sat  is·fied with segmented children's mental health services
that were hard to access.
The Family School Coordinator Project, which was supported by the alliance, helped to translate committee ideas into measurable changes in school and community practices. The project model is based on evidence-supported practices in the field of children's mental health. The school district is a consortium of 13 large Minneapolis-area suburban school districts. It supports and helps to fund nine family school coordinators who work in the schools in its member districts. The coordinators create links between the school, families, county services and private mental health providers. The coordinators have five key functions: * Participate in school-based mental health teams that implement and enhance culturally competent prevention and diagnosis and recommend mental health treatment services for students and their families. * Link the schools and students to Hennepin County Child Crisis Services and other county resources. * Serve as mental health consultants within school districts to strengthen mental health systems and awareness. * Provide professional mental health training for school personnel. * Promote and foster mental health strategies, protocols and best practices throughout the school districts. Oversight
Oversight may refer to:
The Family School Coordinator Project has created an effective, broad-based broad-based Of or relating to an index or average that provides a good representation of the overall market. The S&P 500 and NYSE Composite are generally regarded as broad-based stock indexes, while the popular Dow Jones Industrial Average is biased mental health network that fosters a professional sharing climate that has a common vision, is connected professionally through structured communication and feedback channels and works from shared protocols, goals and values to address the mental health needs of children compassionately com·pas·sion·ate adj. 1. Feeling or showing compassion; sympathetic. See Synonyms at humane. 2. Granted to an individual because of an emergency or other unusual circumstances: and effectively. Local children's mental health agencies employ and oversee the clinical interventions of the family school coordinators. Intermediate School District 287 has been gathering outcome data for the program for more than five years. Last year's data indicate that 550 children were served and that most of those youth had increased school attendance, higher academic grades, decreased out-of-home placements, increased social functioning social functioning, n the ability of the individual to interact in the normal or usual way in society; can be used as a measure of quality of care. , decreased correctional involvement and families satisfied with the service. One of the barriers to children accessing community-based mental health services is the huge gap between the familiar daily routine of school and the unfamiliar world of mental health offices and therapists. The Family School Coordinator Project engages students because the coordinators become familiar faces in the school building and regularly interact with school counselors A school counselor is a counselor and educator who works in schools, and have historically been referred to as "guidance counselors" or "educational counselors," although "Professional School Counselor" is now the preferred term. , social workers, administrators, teachers and paraprofessionals. When a child is referred by school personnel to a coordinator, the child sees a familiar face and one who knows many of the educators already working with the child. The familiarity also helps lessen less·en v. less·ened, less·en·ing, less·ens v.tr. 1. To make less; reduce. 2. Archaic To make little of; belittle. v.intr. To become less; decrease. the stigma stigma: see pistil. Stigma mark of Cain God’s mark on Cain, a sign of his shame for fratricide. [O. T.: Genesis 4:15] scarlet letter associated with getting mental health support. The child can also bring problems to the school coordinator and be assured that privacy is protected and that adult advocacy on behalf of the child in the community will occur. For more information, contact Superintendent Sandra sandra (sänˑ·dr  ),adj Lewandowski at (763) 550-7100 or at sllewandowski@ district287.org. Her mailing address is Intermediate School District 287, 1820 Xenium Lane North, Plymouth, MN 55441. |
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