Kim Sellers, MSW, CTS, LISW-S, Coordinated Care Program Director and USDOE Grant Director
kim.sellers@warrencountyesc.com
Siri Bendtsen, MS.Ed, LISC, Grant Coordinator
Carrie Dingus, Grant Coordinator
Steve Brady, M.Div.,OSU Extension Educator, Cultural Competency Consultant
Cricket Meehan, PhD, Miami University, Evaluating Consultant
In May of 2009, Warren County was awarded a two-year, U.S. Department of Education's Safe and Drug Free Schools Grant to Integrate School and Community Mental Health Systems. Warren County was the only Ohio recipient of this Grant cycle and one of only 17 Grants awarded in the United States. The acquisition of "The Grant" was the result of the collaborative efforts of the ESC, all eight Warren County School districts, the Mental Health and Recovery Services and Centers of Warren/Clinton Counties, the Juvenile Court systems, and the generous work of many other community agencies and members.
The Grant staff's work is guided by a dedicated 20-member Steering Committee made up representatives of all 8 Warren County School districts, staff from local Mental Health and social service agencies, Warren County parents, Juvenile Court staff, the Family and Child First Coalition, the Violence Free Coalition, and Head Start.
The goals and priorities of the Grant include:
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To identify current gaps and barriers in obtaining and providing school-based mental health services.
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To identify developmentally appropriate mental health services available to children and their families in the Warren County area and to develop a Mental Health Resource Directory to facilitate their access to these services.
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To enhance the availability of crisis intervention services to schools as well as transition support services for students returning to school from locked and Mental Health facilities.
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To provide schools with needed mental health trainings and resources for addressing issues that might interfere in a student's ability to succeed in school and life.
This webpage has been developed for the use of school staff, students, their families, and community members. It provides access to many of the resources the Grant Team has developed to meet the above goals and priorities and links to local mental health coalitions and support groups. This webpage also provides access to the online version of the Warren County Mental Health Service Directory developed in partnership with students from Springboro High Schools' Web Design department.
The following outcomes for the above goals and priorities have already been achieved:
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Surveys have been completed by Warren County school administrators, mental health staff, teachers, and parents to determine current mental health services available, barriers to services provided, gaps in services offered, as well as MH training needs and cultural considerations.
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Liaison Directories have been developed and distributed for school staff and community mental health providers to improve communications between the two and access to MH services and training opportunities.
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A Mental Health Referral Protocol, Juvenile Court to School Transition Protocol, Suicide Prevention and Intervention Protocol, School Crisis Response Plan Protocol, and Cultural Competency Protocol have been developed and distributed to Warren County Schools and community agencies.
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Over 1400 Warren County school and community agency staff and over 300 Ohio School Nurses have been trained to recognize mental health concerns in students as well as when and how to refer students for mental health services.
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School Crisis Response plans from all 8 Warren county school districts have been assessed for necessary planning/ response components and 55 school administrators, counselors and psychologists have been trained in School Trauma Response. An outcome of the county-wide training is the development of a seven member county School Crisis Team which will be available to assist Warren County Schools in responding to crisis situations as they occur.
- Mental health booklets have been developed for and distributed to school staff to address 10 common mental health concerns and to provide readers with corresponding classroom strategies and area resources for responding to these concerns.
- Over 40 Warren County typical classroom teachers have received free training on the Autism Spectrum as well as how to assist students with Autism succeed as learners in their school environments.
- This School and Community Mental Health Resource page has been created and marketed to be sustainably useful for Warren County school personnel and families to obtain needed Mental Health information, printed resources and access to online mental health directories.