Strengthening the Connection Between Schools and Behavioral Health
North Carolina’s children are experiencing record rates of mental illness, nearly 20% are experiencing depression and 25% have anxiety that is impairing their daily activity which greatly impacts their ability to learn. i2i is working to strengthen the connection between schools (K-12) and the behavioral health system to improve school leader access to care through the Partnering with North Carolina System of Care grant funded by the NC Department of Health and Human Services in partnership with the Department of Public Instruction.
System of care is a nationally recognized framework for serving the whole person health of our children and families. The framework is a guide for helping schools, community-based organizations, and local health providers work directly with local families to build impactful partnerships to provide individualized care and quickly identify available resources.
In the News
NC DHHS Press Release
i2i Project Skills:
- Expertise with behavioral health system and community outreach
- Training and Education
- Facilitation and Convening
- Reporting and Recommendation Development
Project Details
i2i is developing a training resource for North Carolina school staff on the federal and North Carolina System of Care framework. A webinar will teach leaders about how North Carolina’s System of Care is a bridge to the behavioral health community and how to connect to local mental health resources. There will also be follow up facilitated convenings of school and behavioral health leaders and stakeholders. The convenings will allow leaders to articulate the challenges and opportunities for local schools and use this as a basis to strengthen their partnerships with community-based behavioral health stakeholders using the SOC principles.
March 15th Webinar RECORDING
Q&A Videos
- Gaile Osborne, Executive Director, Foster Family Alliance
- Jessica Aguilar, Family Partner
- Ryan Etheridge, Director, Project ACTIVATE, Cleveland County Schools
The March 15th webinar is a didactic overview of federal and NC System of Care (SOC) and took a deep dive into the components of NC System of Care, separating out primary and secondary schools. The webinar covers important topics such as (but not limited to): engaging families, transition planning for youth returning to school from out of home placement/transfers from other counties and engaging with other providers (including medical). The webinar was an opportunity for educators to receive training in System of Care (SOC) and for health professionals, school support personnel, and administrators to meet and engage in facilitated discussions with behavioral health providers and behavioral health payers in their area to address the escalating behavioral health needs of children.
Facilitated SOC Convenings with i2i
A limited number of school districts have been invited to participate in facilitated convenings with local behavioral health partners to further explore implementation of a local SOC. Schools invited to participate in the additional SOC support were chosen based on indicated preferences during the fall testing opt-in period, while maximizing access to the program with statewide geographical representation and for those communities with high needs.
After the SOC training is complete, i2i will onboard identified schools for participation in facilitated SOC convenings. The purpose of the SOC convenings are to articulate the challenges and opportunities for local school units and use this as a basis to strengthen their partnerships with community-based behavioral health stakeholders, including community-based behavioral health providers, Prepaid Health Plans, Local Management Entities/Managed Care Organizations (behavioral Health/intellectual and development disabilities Tailored Plans), large pediatric practices and school-based health centers, family-focused organizations including community collaboratives. This is a unique opportunity for educators to receive training in SOC and for health professionals, school support personnel, and administrators to meet and engage in facilitated discussions with behavioral health providers and behavioral health payers in their area to address the escalating behavioral health needs of