Project Grant H79SM088377

ESD 105 PROJECT AWARE - EDUCATIONAL SERVICE DISTRICT (ESD) 105'S PROPOSED IMPLEMENTATION OF FY2023 PROJECT AWARE WOULD PARTNER WITH ESD 113, THE WASHINGTON OFFICE OF SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION, AND WASHINGTON HEALTH CARE AUTHORITY TO BUILD THE CAPACITY OF FIVE HIGH-NEED, RURAL PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND THE WA HE LUT INDIAN SCHOOL TO INTEGRATE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES INTO THESE SCHOOLS TO MEET THE MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS OF MIDDLE SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN. THESE SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY LOW-INCOME COMPARED TO THE REST OF WASHINGTON STATE AND SERVE LARGE POPULATIONS OF HISPANIC, NATIVE/INDIGENOUS, ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER, AND MIGRANT STUDENTS. ACCORDING TO THE WASHINGTON HEALTHY YOUTH SURVEY (2021), THE YOUTH IN THE SCHOOLS THAT THE PROJECT WILL SERVE EXPERIENCE HIGH RATES OF ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION AND SUBSTANTIAL PORTIONS REPORT NOT HAVING AN ADULT TO TURN TO WHEN FEELING SAD OR HOPELESS. BOTH SUICIDAL IDEATION AND ATTEMPTED SUICIDE RATES ARE CONCERNINGLY HIGH AMONG THESE SCHOOLS' YOUTH. THE PROJECT WILL ADDRESS THESE CONCERNS BY DEVELOPING PARTNERSHIPS WITH SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND IMPLEMENTING SCHOOL-WIDE MULTI-TIERED SYSTEMS OF SUPPORTS (MTSS) IN THE MIDDLE SCHOOL IN EACH OF THE FIVE SCHOOL DISTRICTS AND IN THE WA HE LUT INDIAN SCHOOL WHICH SERVES GRADES K-8. THE MTSS STRUCTURE WILL INCLUDE UNIVERSAL MENTAL HEALTH SCREENINGS; REFERRAL PROCESSES; GROUP AND INDIVIDUAL SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES; AND MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS INTERVENTIONS SUCH AS TRAININGS FOR BOTH YOUTH AND ADULTS, SCHOOL-WIDE CAMPAIGNS, AND CAMPAIGNS DIRECTED AT PARENTS AND THE COMMUNITIES. THE PROJECT WILL MITIGATE SOME OF THE MAJOR BARRIERS TYPICALLY FACED BY YOUTH IN NEED OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES BY PROVIDING THOSE SERVICES TO YOUTH AT NO COST AND IN THEIR SCHOOL WHERE THEY SPEND THE MAJORITY OF THEIR TIME. THE PROJECT WILL PROVIDE TRAININGS TO SCHOOL STAFF, FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO INCREASE AWARENESS AMONG ADULTS WHO HAVE CONTACT WITH YOUTH ABOUT THE TRAUMA AND MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES EXPERIENCED BY YOUTH SO THAT THEY CAN PROPERLY IDENTIFY YOUTH IN NEED OF SERVICES AND CONNECT THEM WITH THOSE SERVICES. FINALLY, THE SCHOOLS PARTICIPATING IN THE PROJECT WILL IMPLEMENT COMPREHENSIVE STUDENT SUICIDE AWARENESS AND PREVENTION TRAINING POLICIES CODIFYING THE PRACTICE OF PROVIDING SUICIDE AWARENESS TRAINING TO ALL STUDENTS. THE SPECIFIC GOALS OF OUR PROJECT AWARE IMPLEMENTATION ARE: 1. BUILD CAPACITY OF PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS TO INTEGRATE CULTURALLY RELEVANT, DEVELOPMENTALLY APPROPRIATE, TRAUMA-INFORMED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES INTO THESE FACILITIES TO MEET YOUTHS' NEEDS. 2. INCREASE AWARENESS AND LITERACY OF YOUTH MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES AMONG YOUTH AND ADULTS IN CONTACT WITH YOUTH TO ENSURE YOUTH IN NEED OF SERVICES ARE IDENTIFIED AND REFERRED TO SERVICES. 3. IDENTIFY YOUTH IN NEED OF SERVICES AND CONNECT THEM AND THEIR FAMILIES TO INTEGRATED SCHOOL-BASED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES AND SUPPORTS. 4. ESTABLISH AND IMPLEMENT SCHOOL-BASED STUDENT SUICIDE AWARENESS AND PREVENTION TRAINING POLICIES. THE PROJECT PLANS TO PROVIDE MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, BOTH GROUP AND INDIVIDUAL, TO APPROXIMATELY 3,000 CHILDREN OVER THE FIVE YEARS OF THE PROJECT.