School mental health services federal programs

CCMHP is the current federal program providing coordinated, community-based, family-centered, cultmally competent, accessible, and least restrictive services for children and adolescents with serious emotional, behavioral, or mental disorders accompanied by functional impairment. Development of these systems of care is based on the premise that the mental health needs of children, adolescents, and their families can be met in their home, school, and community environments (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 1999). A variety of community agencies are involved, including mental health, child welfare, education, and juvenile justice. Funded service systems are tailored to the needs of individual children and adolescents and include evaluation and diagnosis. 

Description of the Program. The Mental Health in Schools Program was developed in 1995 in response to the awareness that the school-aged population needed enhanced access to mental health services. It is perhaps the first recent federal program with an exclusive focus on children s mental health in a school-based context. MCHB was concerned that 20% of students have a significant mental health problem that compromises their ability to learn and ultimately to succeed at school. The intent of the initiative was to assist schools, educators, community-based organizations, and health/mental health providers to build the infrastructure necessary for enhancing primary mental health resomces and services for children... 

The ethical principles of professional organizations are often incorporated into the licensing and practice laws of individual states (Baird, 1999). The purpose of such laws is to protect the welfare of persons seeking mental health services. Mental health practitioners who violate the law risk loss of licensure, civil action, and possible criminal prosecution (Bennett et al., 1990 Swenson, 1993). Therefore, it is imperative that practitioners know the current federal and state statutes and case laws (e.g., minor consent laws) in both mental health and education. Unfortunately, the ethical principles of mental health professionals are not typically integrated into local school board policies thus, providers will need to keep abreast of these regulations as well. It will be particularly important for expanded school mental health programs to clarify, in writing, which policies will and will not apply to their mental health clinician. 

The federal and state governments have presented a number of opportunities to integrate school-based mental health systems into a communitywide system of care, even if these programs and funding sources were not developed specifically for that purpose. For example, the ss-hs programs funded by a consortia of federal agencies attempt to increase the coordination of care for many of America s children. Four federal departments— Education, Health and Human Services, Labor, and Justice—collaborate to fund projects entitled Safe Schools, Healthy Students (ss-hs) projects in over 80 communities across the coimtry. In the ss-hs project in Baltimore, the Baltimore City Public School System (bcpss) collaborates with the Baltimore Mental Health Systems, Baltimore City Police Department, Mayor s... 

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