The Illinois Children’s Mental Health Act and The Delivery of School Mental Health Services

1. The Illinois Children’s Mental Health Act and The Delivery of School Mental Health Services LADSE Continuing Education: Mental Health in the Schools (February 27 & April 21, 2010) Rosario C. Pesce, Ph.D., NCSP School Age Committee, Illinois Children’s Mental Health Partnership, Loyola University Chicago

2. What data do we have that reinforces these needs? • Illinois Children’s Mental Health Task Force Report (www.ivpa.org) • Nationally, over 20 percent of youth experience diagnosable Mental Health problems • One quarter to one third of young children are perceived as not being ready to succeed in school with many affected by social and emotional issues • 42% of Illinois daycare programs in a survey report asking a family to withdraw a child due to behavior issues

3. What is the Children’s Mental Health Act of 2003 (Public Act 93-0495) ? • Legislation passed in 2003 that required a committee of stakeholders to develop a plan to address the Mental Health needs of Children and Youth. The initial plan was submitted to the Governor Sept. 30, 2004. Final strategic plan submitted June 30, 2005 • Plan includes prevention, intervention and treatment services components that are coordinated to meet these needs. for more info go to www.icmhp.org

4. Concerns Driving the Children’s Mental Health Act of 2003 • Lack of integration of services • Lack of supports available for students at risk for Mental Illness • Fragmented services • Lack of systematic prevention strategies • Lack of resources • Lack of parental involvement • Need to address issues of cultural diversity

5. KEY FINDINGS OF THE CHILDREN’S MENTAL HEALTH TASK FORCE • Early prevention and intervention efforts can save significant state costs. • A significant number of Illinois children experience serious mental health problems. • Many mental health problems are largely preventable or can be minimized with prevention and early intervention efforts. • Children’s social and emotional development is an essential underpinning to school readiness and academic success. • A comprehensive, coordinated children’s mental health system can help maximize resources and minimize duplication of services.

6. KEY PRINCIPLES • A successful children’s mental health system engages families and caregivers. • Prevention and early intervention efforts should start early, beginning prenatally and at birth, and continue throughout adolescence. • All children and their families should have access to affordable, quality, family-centered, culturally competent interventions and services. • Public and private resources must be maximized and coordinated, and should build on existing state and local systems and programs. • Children’s mental health services should be delivered in natural settings.

7. Important Mandate for All School Districtsby Fall, 2004 Section 15. Mental health and schools. (a) The Illinois State Board of Education shall develop and implement a plan to incorporate social and emotional development standards as part of the Illinois Learning Standards for the purpose of enhancing and measuring children's school readiness and ability to achieve academic success. The plan shall be submitted to the Governor, the General Assembly, and the Partnership by December 31, (b) Every Illinois school district shall develop a policy for incorporating social and emotional development into the district's educational program. The policy shall address teaching and assessing social and emotional skills and protocols for responding to children with social, emotional, or mental health problems, or a combination of such problems, that impact learning ability. Each district must submit this policy to the Illinois State Board of Education by August 31, 2004.

8. Why SEL and Mental Health in Schools? • Relationships provide a foundation for learning and school readiness • Emotions affect how and what we learn • Relevant skills can be taught • Positive effects on academic performance, health, relationships, and citizenship • Students with SEL have fewer behavior problems and risky behaviors • Demanded by employers • Essential for lifelong success

9. Framework for a Coordinated Mental Health System in Illinois Treatment Level – Significant deficits, Mental Health Issues Early Intervention Level – Targeted supports for students who demonstrate deficits Prevention Level – Teaching Social/Emotional Learning Skills to all students

10. Three Targets for Achieving Appropriate Mental Health Services • Prevention level – Requires teaching Social and Emotional Learning skills to all • Early Intervention – Requires development of protocols for responding to children with social, emotional and mental health problems (in school groups as well as linkages to community resources) • Treatment – Requires access to a coordinated system of services

11. Social Emotional Learning • What is Social Emotional Learning? • The process through which we learn to recognize and manage emotions, care about others, make good decisions, behave ethically and responsibly, develop positive relationships and avoid negative behaviors (Elias et al., 1997)

12. Why teach this in schools? • Critical nature of these skills to success in life • Access to all children in schools • Day to day experiences in a learning environment that require use of these skills

13. Impact of SEL on Academic Outcomes • Systematic attention to SEL instruction has shown a positive impact on academic outcomes • In implementing SEL programs where teachers acquired and used more effective teaching techniques, 83% resulted in student academic gains (Collaborative for Social Emotional Learning www.casel.org)

14. ISBE SEL Standards’ Framework • Goals-The three SEL goals are broad statements that organize the knowledge and skills that comprise SEL content. Each goal has an explanation of why it is important. • Standards-Theten SEL learning standards are specific statements of the knowledge and skills within a goal that students should know and be able to do. Taken together, the standards define the learning needed to achieve the goals, but each is general enough to apply to learning across the entire range of grade-level clusters. Standards are broader learning targets used to align curriculum, instruction, and assessment. • Benchmarks-The benchmarks are learning targets that are more specific than standards. They specify developmentally appropriate SEL knowledge and skills for each standard at one of five grade-level clusters: • Descriptors-Theperformance descriptors are the most specific learning targets that build upon the standards and benchmarks.

15. ISBE Web Site • www.isbe.net lists the social emotional learning standards among the Illinois learning standards.

16. Components of Social Emotional Learning Standards in Illinois • Three major goal areas • Develop self awareness and self management skills to achieve school and life success. • Use social awareness and interpersonal skills to establish and maintain positive relationships. • Demonstrate decision making skills and responsible behaviors in personal, school and community contexts.

17. Goal 1 - Develop self-awareness and self-management skills to achieve school and life success. • A : Identify and manage one’s emotions and behavior. • B : Recognize personal qualities and external supports. • C : Demonstrate skills related to achieving personal and academic goals.

18. Goal 2 –Use social awareness and interpersonal skills to establish and maintain positive relationships. • A: Recognize the feelings and perspectives of others. • B: Recognize individual and group similarities and differences. • C: Use communication and social skills to interact effectively with others. • D: Demonstrate an ability to prevent, manage and resolve interpersonal conflicts in constructive ways.

19. Goal 3- Demonstrate decision-making skills and responsible behaviors in personal, school and community contexts. • A : Consider ethical, safety, and societal factors in making decisions. • B: Apply decision-making skills to deal responsibly with daily academic and social situations. • C: Contribute to the well-being of one’s school and community.

20. How do you apply this to your school setting?

21. Integration Options Many ways that Social Emotional Learning can be integrated into school • 1 Specific SEL Curricula addressing content areas such as substance abuse, bullying, social emotional skills. • 2 Infusion into the regular academic curriculum – SEL and academic skills reinforce each other by applying skills in subject areas

22. Integration Options • 3 Development of a supportive learning environment • 4 Altering of the instructional process to promote SEL skills and learning- Cooperative learning approaches • 5 Informal curriculum (morning class meetings, advisories, lunchroom instruction, playground and extracurricular focus)

23. Integration Options • 6 Partnerships between parents and teachers- instruction and support for home environments • 7 Engaging students actively and experientially in the learning process – service learning options, community service and instructional integration, from: Zins, J. E., Weissberg, R. P., Wang, M. C., & Walberg, H. J. (Eds.) (2004). Building academic success on social and emotional learning: What does the research say?

24. Framework for a Coordinated Mental Health System in Illinois Treatment Level – Significant deficits, Mental Health Issues Early Intervention Level – Targeted supports for students who demonstrate deficits Prevention Level – Teaching Social/Emotional Learning Skills to all students

25. Working at the Prevention Level • Who provides services: • Qualified Teachers • Student Service Professionals • Agency Professionals • Parents • Community Resources • Goal: Work Collaboratively to teach Social Emotional Learning Skills and Strategies

26. Roles for Student Services Professionals • Key staff to support schools in implementation of this law: • Counselors • Nurses • Social Workers • School Psychologists • Need for consistent types of screening, support for prevention activities, coaching of instructional staff,…

27. Other Prevention Activities • Interventions delivered to all students (e.g. substance abuse prevention, violence prevention) • Programs promoting positive school climate (PBIS, Character Education) • After-school programs (e.g. Scouting) • Parent Associations (PTA, PTO) • Student Support Services

28. Prevention Delivery Options • Integrated across curriculum areas • Developmental School Counseling programs • Health classes • Advisories/Homeroom programs • Peer mediation programs • After School Programs

29. School Staff Working at the Early Intervention Level • Increase awareness, understanding and tolerance of mental illness • Learn to identify, but not diagnose, mental illness and drug and alcohol abuse • Learn effective management of mental health issues • Learn when to refer (when in doubt, REFER) • Learn the rules of confidentiality • Increase community resource pool

30. Types of Services • Behavioral Consultation • Individual and group counseling • Skill Focused groups (e.g. anger management; social skills) • Programs for at-risk youth • Special Education Services • Case Management

31. Delivery Options for Intervention Services • After School Programs • Lunchtime, Before or After School • Parent Education and partnerships • Wrap Around Programs • Specialized Classrooms for Special Education eligible students

32. More than just SEL • The Children's Mental Health Partnership shall be comprised of: the Secretary of Human Services or his or her designee; the State Superintendent of Education or his or her designee; the directors of the departments of Children and Family Services, Public Aid, Public Health, and Corrections, or their designees; the head of the Illinois Violence Prevention Authority, or his or her designee; the Attorney General or his or her designee; up to 25 representatives of community mental health authorities and statewide mental health, children and family advocacy, early childhood, education, health, substance abuse, violence prevention, and juvenile justice organizations or associations, to be appointed by the Governor; and members of each caucus of the House of Representatives and Senate appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President of the Senate, respectively. The Governor shall appoint the Partnership Chair and shall designate a Governor's staff liaison to work with the Partnership. • ISPA is a charter member represented by Lisa York, Past President

33. Committees • Early Childhood • Family Advocacy, Communication, and Education • Public Awareness • School Age • School Policy and Standards

34. Mandate for a Strategic Plan 6/05 • Goal I: Develop and strengthen prevention, early intervention, and treatment policies, programs, and services for children. • Goal II: Increase public education and awareness of the mental health needs of children. • Goal III: Maximize current investments and invest sufficient fiscal resources over time. • Goal IV: Build a qualified and adequately trained workforce with a sufficient number of professionals to serve children and their families throughout Illinois. • Goal V: Create a quality-driven children’s mental health system with shared accountability among key state agencies and programs. • Goal VI: Invest in research.

35. Look Familiar?

36. Annual Report to the Governor (2009) • http://www.icmhp.org/aboutus/ICMHP_2009_Annual_Report.pdf

37. Where does the State Plan Stand? • Each committee works on annual goals and objectives. • School age committee published Guidelines for School Community Partnerships (www.icmhp.org) • A work group from the committee is working on a document aimed at defining the state of mental health professional practice in schools: psychologists, social workers, counselors, and nurses across the state were surveyed.

38. Illinois Interconnected Systems Model of School Based Mental Health

39. Universal/Prevention • Coordinated Systems for Promoting Healthy Social and Emotional Development in Students • Promotion of Mental Wellness • Mental Health Skill Development • ISBE Social Emotional Learning Standards • Safe & Caring Learning Environments with a “One School Culture” • Development of connections between school, home and the community • Consultation and Mental Health Awareness for Educators, Parents, and Students • Stigma Reduction • PBIS, RtI, SAP, and Systems of Care Universal Interventions • Early Intervention • Coordinated Systems for Early Detection, Identification, • and Response to Mental Health Concerns • Interventions as early after the onset of an identified concern, including assessments, referral, and follow-up • Early identification targets students who may be at risk for mental health concerns due to risk factors, trauma, or ACES and students who are not meeting the Social Emotional Learning Standards. • Student Engagement and Truancy Reduction Activities • Mental Health Consultation for Educators • Skill-building at the individual and groups level as well as, Support Groups, • Crisis Intervention and ongoing support • Student Support Services • PBIS, RtI, SAP, and Systems of Care Secondary Interventions • Treatment • Comprehensive Treatment and Family Supports • Assessment, diagnostic, and referral, services for • chronic, severe, pervasive mental health concerns • Therapy and support services • Wrap Around Services • PBIS, RtI, SAP, and Systems of Care Tertiary Interventions • Special Education Illinois’ Interconnected Systems Model for School Based Mental Health

40. Survey/Document in Final Stages • Student Support Project Work Group developed a survey aimed at determining the activities of school counselors, school psychologists, and school social workers in relation to children’s mental health. • Results have been analyzed and a draft completed: (SCHOOL BASED MENTAL HEALTH IN ILLINOIS: ASSESSING THE PRESENT AND PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE)

41. Mandate for a Strategic Plan 6/05 • Goal I: Develop and strengthen prevention, early intervention, and treatment policies, programs, and services for children. • Goal II: Increase public education and awareness of the mental health needs of children. • Goal III: Maximize current investments and invest sufficient fiscal resources over time. • Goal IV: Build a qualified and adequately trained workforce with a sufficient number of professionals to serve children and their families throughout Illinois. • Goal V: Create a quality-driven children’s mental health system with shared accountability among key state agencies and programs. • Goal VI: Invest in research.

42. Support from literature NASP Best Practices V, especially Volumes 3 and 4 Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. (2003) Safe and sound: An educational leader’s guide to evidenced based social and emotional learning (SEL) programs. Chicago, IL: Author. Doll, B. & Cummings, J. A. (Eds.). (2008). Transforming mental health services: Population-based approaches to promoting the competency and wellness of children. Thousand Oaks: Sage. Osher, D., Dwyer, K,. & Jackson, S. (2003). Safe, supportive and successful schools: Step by step. Longmont, CO: Sopris West. Sprague, J.R., & Walker, H.M. (2005). Safe and healthy schools: Practical prevention strategies. New York: Guilford.