CHDI NEWSLETTER

June 2021

Publications

Trauma & the School Responder Model: Tip Sheets for Educators

CHDI and the National Center for Youth Opportunity and Justice (NCYOJ) teamed up to create three tip sheets to help educators understand trauma and how it can manifest in student behaviors, as well as emphasize the importance of incorporating a trauma-informed perspective into the design, implementation, and evaluation of school responder models.

Tip Sheet #1 Trauma Overview Tip Sheet #2 Trauma as a Contextual Factor in School Responder Model Implementation Tip Sheet #3 Implications of Trauma for the Core Components of a School Responder Model

Youth who have been exposed to trauma are more likely to be subject to exclusionary discipline policies in school. Exclusionary discipline contributes to these youth having higher rates of juvenile court system involvement. A School Responder Model, such as Connecticut's School-Based Diversion Initiative, is a school-based, behavior response model that seeks to disrupt unnecessary suspension, expulsion, and arrest for students, particularly those with unidentified or unmet behavioral health needs. Additional resources on trauma-informed practices for schools and school responder models can be found in the NCYOJ Virtual Toolbox and on www.chdi.org.

View Trauma Tip Sheet Series for Educators

National Policy Brief Highlights Connecticut's Mobile Crisis Services Quality Improvement Initiative

Mobile crisis services play a critical role in helping youth and families manage behavioral health concerns and connect to ongoing care. A recent policy brief from the Council of State Governments Justice Center, “A Matter of Public Health and Safety: How States Can Support Local Crisis Systems,” calls on policymakers to fund and sustain crisis systems, particularly to address the rising mental health needs associated with the pandemic. A core component of a crisis continuum of services is mobile crisis, and Connecticut has one of the best mobile crisis programs in the country. In Connecticut the service is accessed by dialing 2-1-1 and is free of charge to all children. Trained mental health clinicians are deployed to homes, schools and community locations to provide in-person crisis stabilization services and linkage to ongoing care. The brief cites the public-private partnership between CHDI and the Department of Children and Families to evaluate and continuously improve the program. Learn more about Connecticut’s mobile crisis services and quality improvement initiative.

Justice Center Policy Brief

CHDI Updates

Connecticut's Evidence-Based Practice Conference Highlighted Anti-Racism and Equity in Behavioral Health Amid COVID

The 13th annual Connecticut Evidence-Based Practices Conference was held May 11 through June 16 with a theme centered on Anti-Racism and Equity in Behavioral Health Amid COVID-19 and a keynote from Dr. Isaiah Pickens. CHDI organizes the annual conference as part of our work with the State of Connecticut to disseminate and sustain evidence-based behavioral health treatments for children. The EBP Conference is made possible with funding from the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) and Judicial Branch Court Support Services Division (CSSD). The conference consisted of 17 virtual workshops from local and national experts tailored for children's behavioral health providers, policymakers, school administrators, and professionals in child-serving systems. Over 1,300 registered for the sessions and 600 Continuing Education (CE) certificates were distributed to help ensure licensed behavioral health practitioners remain well trained and equipped to serve youth and families. Presentation recordings will be made available for future viewing. If interested in viewing a recorded workshop, please contact Christine Hauser at chauser@uchc.edu. Learn more about Connecticut's work to advance evidence-based practices.

Connecticut's Work to Divert Juvenile Justice Involvement by Addressing Student Behavioral Health Shared at National Events

National Center for Juvenile & Family Court Judges Expo Featured SBDI CHDI Associate Vice President for School and Community Initiatives Jeana Bracey presented on Connecticut's School-Based Diversion Initiative (SBDI) at the National Center for Juvenile and Family Court Judges' (NCJFCJ) Expo. SBDI is a program that works to reduce juvenile justice involvement among youth with mental health needs. Bracey served as part of an expert panel on “Linking Systems of Care: How Four Jurisdictions are Coordinating Services.” SBDI was one of four featured models in a 2021 NCJFCJ publication demonstrating cross-systems collaborative models to address trauma and behavioral health needs and successful integration of systems of care values and principles.

CHDI Discusses Comprehensive School Mental Health Strategies Used in CT at Society for Community Research and Action Conference  CHDI's Senior Associate for Project AWARE Jamie LoCurto recently co-presented a preconference workshop for the 18th Biennial Conference of the Society for Community Research and Action. This workshop aimed to help participants learn about abolishing and replacing punishment-oriented criminal justice frameworks. In breakout sessions, practitioners and researchers discussed ways to identify punishment-oriented behaviors and work to reframe interactions with individuals. Jamie co-led a breakout on K-12 educational settings that focused on school discipline (e.g., detention, suspension) and what mechanisms could be put in place to reduce the number of discipline referrals, with examples of strategies from Connecticut's Project AWARE initiative. Project AWARE is a five year federally-funded initiative working to build comprehensive school mental health systems in three Connecticut school districts.

Connecticut's Mobile Crisis and SBDI Highlighted at CLASP Event CHDI's Jeana Bracey participated in a virtual expert panel for the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) on “How to Keep Young People of Color Safe Through Mobile Response.” She shared information and outcomes on Connecticut’s Mobile Crisis Intervention Service and the School-Based Diversion Initiative as effective models for diverting youth with behavioral health needs from the juvenile justice system and emergency departments. The panel follows a 2021 report by the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP) on “Youth Mobile Response Services: An Investment to Decriminalize Mental Health” with contributions from CHDI's Jeff Vanderploeg and Tim Marshall (CT Department of Children and Families).

Job Opportunity

CHDI is Hiring: 2021-2022 Postdoctoral Fellowship

CHDI is accepting applications for a one-year full time Postdoctoral Fellowship with potential areas of focus in behavioral health equity, implementation science, childhood trauma, and/or school-based behavioral health. The Fellow will work on one or more initiatives focused on improving children’s behavioral health in Connecticut, with a particular emphasis on behavioral health equity. Learn more.

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