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Canadian Association for School Health

Canadian Association for School Health. Inaugural Pre-conference National Community of Practice Symposium, April 21, 2008 Gatineau, Quebec. Proceedings from Creating Connections in School Mental Health 2006. An International Symposium on Progressive Efforts in School-Based

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Canadian Association for School Health

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  1. Canadian Association for School Health Inaugural Pre-conference National Community of Practice Symposium, April 21, 2008 Gatineau, Quebec

  2. Proceedings fromCreating Connections inSchool Mental Health 2006 An International Symposium on Progressive Efforts in School-Based Mental Health Programming

  3. Goals of the Day • Increase capacity in Alberta relevant to School Mental Health. • Engage members of the Education sector, along with supportive allied professionals in child-serving sectors, in developmental discussions. • Generate recommendations and record what enhanced capacity in School Mental Health could look like, regionally and provincially.

  4. Specific Objectives • Present information on learnings and outcomes • Generate relevant recommendations and desired outcomes for development in Alberta • Provide impetus for the establishment of an Alberta “Community of Practice”. • Explore opportunities for collaboration

  5. Participants • 60 Alberta based front line and management level education and health/school health practitioners • 15 Panel presenters (Alberta-based and international)

  6. Symposium Themes

  7. The Importance of Infrastructure • Bridging Research to Practice • Whole School Mental Health/Universal Prevention Programming • School-based Service Delivery • Critical Issues in Mental Health/Education Integration

  8. Symposium Format • 4-5 Leaders/Practitioners in the thematic area • 10 minutes each to highlight 3 most significant learnings, 3 most prominent outcomes • 20 small group discussion to generate 3 recommendations and 3 potentially desirable outcomes from these recommendations

  9. Whole School Mental Health • or- School Mental Health in Health Promoting Schools • or-School Mental Health within Comprehensive School Health Framework

  10. Panel Presenters • Helen Butler, Mgr. Prof. Learning, Adol. Health and Social Environments, Ctre. for Adol. Health, Melbourne • Jennifer Axelrod, Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning, Univ. of Illinois at Chicago • Caroline Clauss-Ehlers, Dept. Counselling Psych., Rutgers, New Jersey • Louise Rowling, U of Sydney, Australia; President, Intercamhs • Additional commentary by Mark Weist, Director, Center for School Mental Health, University of Maryland and Carl Paternite, Director School based Mental Health Programs, Dept.of Psych., U of Miami in Ohio 10

  11. Learning/Instruction Whole School/ Comprehensive School Health School Environment/Ethos Community/Services

  12. Research • &Practice-Unidimensional, collaborative knowledge creation, transfer & exchange • ID innovation by single, and school based practitioners & offer resources re: evaluation and dissemination • Action-based, built on existing structures, where possible • Link to school reform/school change/effective schools literature 10

  13. Research (2) • Integrally involve researchers continuously • Compile provincial cost-benefit analysis of impacts of smh in relation to key factors eg. justice, hospitalization, medical leave • Engage teachers as reflective practitioners-just just for outside experts to do • Collect and collate baseline & ongoing data on prevention programming to track progress • Build data base re: school based healthy policies and practices and track changes

  14. What we know…in Alberta (1) • Key Issues (Advancing the Mental Health Agenda, April 2004) • Service capacity and gaps, especially for children • Stigmatization and inequity-creates significant barriers to treatment • Funding inadequacy • Need for integrated service delivery • Need for decentralized, multi-provider service environment • Need to address organizational barriers to integrating services

  15. Research (3) • Investigate impacts of collective efficacy/professional satisfaction/school connectedness (of students and school staff) on school climate and connectedness with academic success and well-being.

  16. Policy • Make Social Emotional Learning a mandated component of curriculum • Focus on prevention efforts, implementing protective factors, starting in pre-K. • Boards of Education invest in the philosophy and make it an integral part of their mandate • Ensure cross ministerial policy and resources to promote and support collaboration at all levels 14

  17. Training • Integrate into mh promotion initiatives to reduce stigma to staff, students and community • PD for teachers on mh and mh promotion essential: • connection between education and mh • role of educators in mh prevention and promotion • understanding of issues, responses, resources and self-care 15

  18. Training (2) • Pre-service training • Resources to support school communities to learn from and share with each other in expertise and successful approaches • Cross-sectoral training, co-developed and co-delivered • Systematically provide structured opportunities for school staff to reflect on how everyday practice promotes mh 16

  19. Practice • Adapt and implement developed whole school mh promotion approaches eg Mind Matters, Gatehouse Project (Australia) • Integrate knowledge and practice regarding academic and non-academic barriers to learning and cognitive functioning • More school-friendly, school based support across the continuum 17

  20. Practice (2) • Re: whole school practice-review existing “templates” for programming and services and re-educate stakeholders re: their implementation, emphasizing flexibility to meet the needs of various settings and cultures • Develop processes which help parents to be heard rather than blamed • Build on the concepts within “healthy school communities”-use consistent language 18

  21. Practice (3) • Focus on whole school community, including students and all adults • Develop a community of practice regionally, provincially, and beyond • Listen to the ideas of educators, students and community members, and involve them in solution finding • Enlist media involvement • Create safe environments for discussion 19

  22. Gloria Wells • Director, Collaborative Initiatives, Rocky View School Division, Airdrie, Alberta • Executive Director, Wellsprings Education and Human Service Consulting, Calgary, Alberta • Contact: gwells@rockyview.ab.caor wellsgl@shaw.ca

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