Burlington county institute of technology (NJ) trauma informed service program - burlington county institute of technology (bcit) is a four-year countywide vocational-technical public high school…

Burlington county institute of technology (NJ) trauma informed service program - burlington county institute of technology (bcit) is a four-year countywide vocational-technical public high school serving 2,100 students in 9TH through 12TH grades. Located on two campuses, the student body is far more racially and ethnically diverse, as well as economically disadvantaged, than burlington county (the geographic catchment area). As reported by bcit professionals, and confirmed by a 2020 rutgers university county needs assessment, the covid-19 pandemic with its resulting isolation, illness/deaths and financial downturns, created and exacerbated traumas experienced by students and families, including but not limited to, bullying, disasters, early childhood trauma, community violence, sexual abuse/assault in and outside the home, domestic terrorism and violence, and traumatic grief. The study found behavioral and mental health services for youth to be a prioritized urgent need, especially given the lack of services, and difficulties accessing existing services, and additional barriers impeding access by black/african american and other historically underrepresented racial and ethnic minorities, and lgbtqia students and their families. The project will enable students and their families to better identify and successfully navigate access to available trauma resources, specifically addressing transportation and financial barriers, and systemic and historic barriers negatively affecting participation by lgbtqia and black/african american and other historically underrepresented racial and ethnic students/families. These goals will be achieved by working with three local partners in achieving a number of objectives (measurable in both time and level of participation) to include: the creation, dissemination and successful communication of a database of available trauma based resources; developing working teams with each local partner to navigate access and entry into available programs; assisting those specific students/families where transportation and financial access have been a barrier to accessing trauma based resources by additionally working with county and community resources; implementing cultural competency and implicit bias training for the entire staff (enhancing identification practices in teachers and staff to construct pathways and linkages to build connections with providers prior to students encountering mental health crises); and implementing culturally appropriate educational and therapeutic youth school events, all the while addressing systemic barriers that have limited access to trauma based resources by black/african american and other historically underrepresented racial and ethnic and lgbtqia, students and their families. Over a four-year period, this project will disseminate information services to 2,100 students, provide direct services to 650 students, provide 40 with direct assistance seeking to overcome financial/economic barrier, and provide training for 600 bcit teachers and staff and events for 480 students.