Ohio Mental Health Network
Strategic Plan

Network Vision

Every child in Ohio – including those at emotional or behavioral risk and those with mental health problems – will have the opportunity and the support needed to be successful in school.

Network Mission

The mission of the Network is to help Ohio’s school districts, community-based agencies, and families work together to achieve improved educational and developmental outcomes for all children – especially those at emotional or behavioral risk and those with mental health problems.

To accomplish this mission the Network will: To accomplish this mission the Network will:

• Promote awareness of the mental health, emotional and behavioral needs of pupils attending school in Ohio.

• Help to build capacity within mental health agencies to promote and directly support the improvement and expansion of school-based mental health services in their communities.

• Provide direct training and technical assistance to designated audiences within the regional action networks who will in turn work toward the improvement and expansion of school-based mental health services at the local level.

• Seek in each case both to reduce barriers to learning and to support the positive efforts of children and families as they work to achieve success in school.

Network Action Agenda

1.  Most pupils in Ohio’s schools who need mental health services don’t receive them. The Network member agencies will work together to reduce stigma for children and families who need mental health services and to tell the story about the gap between pupils’ mental health needs and the resources available to meet those needs. A variety of technologies and media will be used to create awareness and to encourage improved and expanded services to these pupils.

2.  The Network will partner with regional action networks to enhance within-region implementation of the action agenda, actively soliciting and appreciating student and family input. In addition, affiliates will work together in contributing to statewide efforts (e.g., conferences, training institutes, workshops, research, etc.).

3.  The Network will develop and conduct, as appropriate, a survey of mental health agencies, families and school districts to better define the mental health needs of children and to gather information about promising practices aimed at meeting those needs at local community level.

4.  The Network will provide training and technical assistance to both community based mental health agencies and local school districts to support the adoption of evidence-based and promising practices aimed at improving and expanding school-based mental health services. The Network will augment the efforts of the CLE in identifying the best and most promising practices.

5.  The Network will help to develop a collaboration guide for education, mental health professionals and families to follow in developing lasting and productive partnerships.

6.  The Network will help to identify external sources of financial support for school-based mental health initiatives and will disseminate information about funding opportunities, applications and cycles.

7.  The Network will assist college and university-based professional preparation programs in Psychology, Social Work, Public Health and Education in developing inter-professional strategies and practices for addressing the mental health needs of Ohio’s school age population. The network also will promote and seek the involvement of families and other non-professionals in these efforts. These efforts will be informed by and coordinated with those of the Mental Health Education Integration Consortium (MEDIC).

Barriers and Opportunities

The Network recognizes that there are significant barriers to be addressed if its mission is to be accomplished. Historically, public school districts and community-based mental health agencies have not pursued a common agenda. Schools are most often organized around classroom activities and success is measured largely in terms of academic performance. Mental health professionals are more likely to focus on individual children and view success in terms of improvement in emotional and behavioral health. The goals of the two systems are often viewed as incompatible by the leadership in the two fields. Further, these biases are often reinforced by their respective funding sources. Professionals in both systems believe they are woefully under-funded. It is perhaps not surprising that turf conflicts are more common than partnerships. There is considerable work to be done in convincing those working in the two systems that they can and should be mutually reinforcing.

The Network also recognizes that it must take advantage of several real opportunities that might support its efforts. There is strong leadership at the state level to improve and expand school-based mental health services. The Ohio Department of Mental Health (ODMH) has committed both staff and considerable financial resources to this task. ODMH has also enlisted the support of the Ohio Alternative Education Advisory Council (OAEAC) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration of the United States Department of Health and Human Services (SAMHSA). The creation of the present Network is in fact a direct result of ODMH leadership and sponsorship. Through the OAEAC the Network is also supported by strong partnerships that have begun to form between and among policy-makers in a number of state offices and agencies that share responsibility for addressing the multiple needs of at-risk and high-risk youth.

Another opportunity lies in the experience of a number of mental health organizations and agencies that have, in spite of the difficulties, developed strong relationships with public school districts. There is a willingness among many of these agencies to share their experience. The Network’s member agencies are prime examples. There is also growing support from higher education institutions across the nation and in Ohio. National projects underway at UCLA and the University of Maryland and more recently at the Center for Learning Excellence at Ohio State are committed to the improvement and expansion of school-based mental health services through the identification and dissemination of evidence-based and promising practices.