Project resilience: a multi-tiered system of support for trauma-informed schools - the project goal is to create a trauma-informed multi-tiered system of support (mtss) for jersey city public…

Project resilience: a multi-tiered system of support for trauma-informed schools - the project goal is to create a trauma-informed multi-tiered system of support (mtss) for jersey city public schools and its community. Mtss will provide students with social-emotional learning and trauma-focused evidence-based interventions and counseling in schools and clinics, provide teachers and school leaders with trauma-informed classroom practices, and strengthen collaborations with mental health agencies and community partners. Jersey city public schools (jcps) is a large, urban school district of 39 schools serving 26,782 students (27% black, 38% latinx, 18% asian, 14% white, 3% others; 78% qualify for free or reduced lunch. Our goals are as follows: 1) develop a trauma-informed mtss operational framework that serves as a guidance document for jcps and partnering agencies; 2) solidify partnerships to create a trauma-informed mental health service system that provides screening, referral, and treatment to students and families; 3) deliver trauma-informed mental health services screening and referral, and treatment services according to student/family preference (school, clinic, telehealth); 4) provide comprehensive training and implementation support for educators in trauma-informed classroom and student-targeted trauma informed approaches; 4) implement a family and community engagement plan to increase awareness of the impact of trauma on children and youth; 6) develop and update a yearly sustainability action plan for the proposed grant activities; and 7) develop a joint agreement between the jcps and local agencies to implement a partnership and action plan to give students access to trauma-informed services. Our core objectives under these goals are 1) to create an mtss guidance document for trauma informed schools, formal agreements with mental health organization, 2) provide comprehensive screening and referral to students (tier 2 social-emotional screenings: 1320 in year 1; 2320 each subsequent year; tier 3 trauma-specific screenings: 50 screenings each year), 3) provide trauma-focused mental health services (individuals service: at least 20 in year 1; 40 each subsequent year); run 6 groups in year 2-4); 4) train at least 175 educators and at least 36 school leadership teams in trauma informed skills for educators (tise); 5) provide clinical training in trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-cbit), cognitive behavioral intervention in schools (cbits), and bounce back to at least 40 clinicians; 6) to create caregiver community-facing training tools for schools and partners to to use; 7) to conduct at least two (2) family and two (2) community workshops on trauma and project resilience and one annual community forum to support families' access to jcps and partner resource; 7) to create yearly sustainment plan for project services, and 8) to developing a joint agreement between the jcps, early childhood and head start, police and juvenile justice authorities, community organizations, division child protection and permanency to implement a partnership and action plan to give students access to trauma-informed mental services through project resilience. We expect to impact 8280 individuals through these services over the course of the grant (1320 in year 1; 2320 each subsequent year).