Children's Services
Child Adolescent Service System Program (CASSP)
A national study in 1982 found that two-thirds of all children with severe
emotional disturbances were not receiving appropriate services. These children
were "unclaimed" by the public agencies responsible to serve them,
and there was little coordination among the various child-serving systems. To
address this need, Congress appropriated funds in 1984 for CASSP, which was
envisioned as a comprehensive mental health system of care for children,
adolescents and their families.
Pennsylvania first received a federal CASSP grant in 1985 and began building a
state and local infrastructure for a comprehensive system of care. In 1991,
the CASSP system began in Berks County. The fundamental goal then and now is
to facilitate the process of cross system collaboration and inclusion of
families as full partners.
CASSP Core Principles
Child-centered: Services are planned to meet the individual
needs of the child, rather than to fit the child into an existing service.
Services consider the child’s family and community contexts, are
developmentally appropriate and child-specific, and build on the strengths of
the child and family to meet the mental health, social and physical needs of
the child.
Family-focused: Services recognize that the family is the
primary support system for the child. The family participates as a full
partner in all stages of the decision-making and treatment planning process,
including implementation, monitoring and evaluation. A family may include
biological, adoptive and foster parents, siblings, grandparents and other
relatives, and other adults who are committed to the child. The development of
mental health policy at state and local levels includes family representation.
Community-based: Whenever possible, services are delivered in
the child’s home community, drawing on formal and informal resources to
promote the child's successful participation in the community. Community
resources include not only mental health professionals and provider agencies,
but also social, religious and cultural organizations and other natural
community support networks.
Multi-system: Services are planned in collaboration with all
the child-serving systems involved in the child’s life. Representatives
from all these systems and the family collaborate to define the goals for the
child, develop a service plan, develop the necessary resources to implement
the plan, provide appropriate support to the child and family, and evaluate
progress.
Culturally competent: Culture determines our world view and
provides a general design for living and patterns for interpreting reality
that are reflected in our behavior. Therefore, services that are culturally
competent are provided by individuals who have the skills to recognize and
respect the behavior, ideas, attitudes, values, beliefs, customs, language,
rituals, ceremonies and practices characteristic of a particular group of
people.
Least restrictive/least intrusive: Services take place in
settings that are the most appropriate and natural for the child and family
and are the least restrictive and intrusive available to meet the needs of the
child and family.
The Student Assistance Program (SAP)
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Student Assistance Program
(SAP), is administered by the PA Department of Education’s Safe
School Office. In partnership with the PA Department of Health’s
Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Programs, and the PA Department of Public
Welfare’s Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, is
designed to assist school personnel in identifying issues including alcohol,
tobacco, other drugs, and mental health issues which pose a barrier to a
student’s success. The primary goal of the Student
Assistance Program (SAP) is to help students overcome these barriers in order
that they may achieve, remain in school, and advance. While Student
Assistance Programs exist in other areas of the country, the structure and
operation of the program in Pennsylvania is a unique expression of an
integrated model serving the needs of Pennsylvania families and their
students.
SAP is a systemic process using techniques to mobilize school resources to
remove barriers to learning. The core of the program is a professionally
trained team, including school staff and liaisons from community alcohol and
drug and mental health agencies. SAP team members are trained to
identify problems, determine whether or not the presenting problem lies
within the responsibility of the school and to make recommendations to
assist the student and the parent. When the problem lies beyond
the scope of the school, the SAP team will assist the parent and student so
they may access services within the community. The student assistance
team members do not diagnose, treat or refer to treatment; but they may
refer for a screening or an assessment for treatment.
There are four phases to the student assistance process:
Referral- Anyone can refer a student to SAP when they are
concerned about someone’s behavior -- any school staff, a
student’s friend, a family member or community member. The
students themselves can even go directly to the SAP team to ask for
help. The SAP team contacts the parent for permission to proceed with
the SAP process.
Team Planning – The SAP team gathers objective
information about the student’s performance in school from all school
personnel who have contact with the student. Information is also
collected from the parent. The team meets with the parent to discuss the
data colleted and also meets with the student. Together, a plan is developed
that includes strategies for removing the learning barriers and promoting the
student’s academic and personal success to include in school and/or
community-based services and activities.
Intervention and Recommendations– The plan is put into
action. The team assists in linking the student to in school and/or
community-based services and activities. The team might recommend
a drug and alcohol or mental health assessment.
Support and Follow-Up– The SAP team continues to work
with and support the student and their family. Follow-up includes
monitoring, mentoring, and motivating for academic success.
It is the parent’s right to be involved in the process and to have full
access to all school records under the applicable state and federal laws and
regulations. Involvement of parents in all phases of the student
assistance program underscores the parents’ role and responsibility in
the decision–making process affecting their children’s education
and is key to the successful resolution of problems.
The student assistance process is based upon state guidelines, professional
standards and policies, and procedures adopted by the local school board of
directors. Professional training for team members in all phases of the
student assistance process, which is consistent with state guidelines and
conducted by a Commonwealth approved training provider, is required to ensure
the appropriateness of the recommended services, effective interagency
collaboration and compliance with state and federal laws protecting the
privacy rights of parents and students.
The training of team members by a Commonwealth approved training provider,
ensures the board of school directors, school administrators, parents,
students, and the public that team members have received up-to- date
professional training consistent with accountable standards and appropriate
procedures. Guidelines for the Commonwealth Student Assistance Program
training system contain training standards and competencies for SAP team
professionals.
For those students receiving treatment through a community agency, the student
assistance team, in collaboration with parents and the agency, can assist in
helping plan in-school support services during and after treatment. The
team’s effectiveness in helping the student and the parent remove the
barriers to learning and improve student performance depends on the training
of the individual team members, maintenance of the student assistance process,
level of administrative commitment and board support, active parent and
student involvement and the available resources both in school and the
community.
The Clearfield and Jefferson Counties have two SAP Liaison/Consultants.
The behavioral health liaison/consultant position is staffed through Community
Connections. The drug and alcohol liaison/consultant position is staffed
through the Clearfield-Jefferson Drug
& Alcohol Commission.
The Community Connections Liaison/Consultant is a member
of the following core teams:
Brockway Jr/Sr High School
Clearfield County Career and Technology Center
Curwensville Jr/Sr High School
DuBois School District (High School & Elementary)
Glendale Jr/Sr High School (Shared with Cambria County)
Philipsburg-Osceola Jr. High School (Shared with Centre County)
Philipsburg-Osceola Sr. High School (Shared with Centre County)
Punxsutawney Middle School
Punxsutawney High School
The Clearfield-Jefferson Drug & Alcohol Commission Liaison/Consultant is a member of the following core
teams:
Brookville Jr/Sr High School
DuBois Middle School
DuBois Area Catholic School
Clearfield Middle School
Clearfield High School
Harmony Jr/Sr High School
Jefferson County-DuBois Area Vocational-Technical School
Moshannon Valley Jr/Sr High School
West Branch Jr/Sr High School
If you have a referral for the Student Assistance Program contact the
Guidance Counselor at your school to obtain more information and to assist
in making a referral.
Student Assistance Program Parent Brochure:
www.sap.state.pa.us/uploadedfiles/SAPparentbrochure.pdf
Student Assistance Program - Guide for Students Brochure:
www.sap.state.pa.us/uploadedfiles/SAPguideforstudents.pdf
Crisis Services can be reached
24 hours a day / 7 days a week by calling
1-800-341-5040
