The UW SMART Center has put together The Case for School Mental Health Brief that highlights key statistics on the benefit of – and need for – comprehensive school mental health services. As you will see, the “Case for School Mental Health” does not just point to a general recommendation for increased availability of school mental health services, but more specific policy and funding recommendations.
 

For example, the UW SMART Center and its partners believe that Washington state – and its schools and students – will benefit from: 

1. Development and deployment of a statewide accountability framework for a multi-tiered system of school mental health support (MTSS), that can aid districts to develop plans and stay on track; 
    
2. Research-based professional development for school professionals and technical assistance for districts on implementing MTSS and effective SMH; 
    
3. Funding for districts and schools, to help them implement MTSS to fill gaps in the continuum of SMH services; and 
    
4. A statewide youth mental health monitoring system, that mobilizes data already available from sources such as school data, student surveys, and state health records, that keeps the state focused on child and family mental health and allows for immediate mobilization when “hot spots” (e.g., suicides, emergency room visits, youth distress) emerge.
    

Access the full document here!
 

Want more information and school mental health resources? Visit the Northwest MHTTC's School Mental Health page and sign up for our monthly newsletter for regular updates about events, trainings, and resources available to the Northwest region.