Contra Costa County Office of Education

Contra Costa Behavioral Health Services (BHS), in collaboration with the Contra Costa Office of Education (CCCOE), was awarded a five year, $7.2 million Mental Health Student Services Act (MHSSA) grant to enhance and expand school-based mental health services, beginning in September 2021. This funding supports the Wellness in Schools Program (WISP), a countywide initiative aimed at ensuring all students have timely access to behavioral health services and resources. 

The WISP operated using a tiered model of intervention that builds upon and strengthens existing school-based mental health supports. This framework supports schools to provide universal prevention services, early intervention strategies, and targeting mental health care for students with higher levels of need. The program prioritizes accessibliity and equity by focusing on high-need and underserved school districts, ensuring that students facing moderate to acute behavioral health challenges recieve the appropriate level of care.

 

Additionally, the grant facilitates direct support to parents and caregivers of students experiencing signfiicant behavioral health concerns, equipping them with resources, education, and guidance to better support their children's well-being. Over the five-year grant period, WISP will provide comprehensive, sustainable mental health services that foster a supportive school environment, promote early identification of mental health issues, and enhance collaboration between schools, families, and community-based providers. 

 

	Tier 1: Baseline Preventative Health Training & Technical Assistance	Tier 2: Moderate Parent/ Caregiver & Student Support	Tier 3: Intensive Parent/ Caregiver Support
Target Recipients	100% of students and their families	Students identified with moderate behavioral health concerns and their families	Students identified with acute behavioral health concerns and their families
Mechanisms	Teacher and Staff Training Mental Health Awareness Communications  Technical Assistance to schools for Wellness Centers and establishing screening mechanism	Scale up existing PEI-funded parent/caregiver support program Establish student mental health support groups Parent Liaison Collaborative	One-on-One navigation support for parents/caregivers Expand existing PEI-and Medical- funded direct mental health services in high-need or underserved school districts
Goal	Increase capacity of teachers and staff across all County school districts to identify and escalate behavioral health concerns	Equip parents/caregivers to proactively address emerging behavioral health concerns before they increase in severity	Ensure that families succesfully access needed behavioral health services and supports

The vision of the Contra Costa County Wellness in Schools Program (WISP) is for all students in the County to access
needed behavioral health services and supports in a timely manner. This grant program was established to strengthen
mental health partnerships between county mental health or behavioral health departments, community based
organizations, and local educational entities in order to increase access to mental health services and remove barriers
to better serve our students and families in their mental health needs.

It is anticipated that Wellness in Schools Liaisons will:

• Establish new partnerships with mental health service providers
• Improve or develop systems to create sustainable best practices and protocols
• Share best practices for school-based mental health, through a "Community of Practice"
• Improve timely access to, and reduce barriers to accessing needed services
• Increase linkages to mental health services for school districts
• Increase training on mental health topics to educators, administrators, parents/families, and students, to improve awareness and understanding of mental health topics, and knowledge of how to navigate mental health services
• Reduction in negative student outcomes (e.g. chronic sadness, thoughts of suicide, chronic absenteeism, school failure, etc.)

• Build capacity of the County's school to identify and address student behavioral health.

• Establish a more uniform awareness of the range of existing behavioral health services and supports available to students and their families/caregivers in the County
• Create increased understanding of how to access those services and supports
• Foster an appreciation for the importance of mental health wellness and a community that welcomes seeking mental health help
• Increase communication and collaboration between BHS, the COE, and school districts.