GUIDELINES FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PARTNERSHIPS

The purpose of the Behavioral Health Partnership between the school district and community providers is to provide school based personnel with a list of behavioral health  providers who have met the standards set by the Behavioral Health Partnership (BHP) Committee. These Behavioral Health Partners are to provide behavioral health services to students on school campuses when school personnel have referred the student.

SCHOOL/PRINCIPAL RESPONSIBILITIES:

1. The principal must give approval for any BHP approved agency to provide services on campus and provide the agency with appropriate space to provide behavioral health services.

2. The principal or designee must monitor procedures of the BHP approved agency.

3. The principal or designee must ensure the agency and agency staff have received proper school district approval to deliver services to students. Staff of BHP agencies are not issued SBBC Vendor I.D. badges, therefore identification and approval can be completed by matching the staff member’s agency ID badge with the Mental Health Provider List found at: www.broward.k12.fl.us/studentsupport/sednet/html/mhdatabase.htm. It is recommended that the school photocopy the staff member’s agency ID badge.

4. Confidentiality must be enforced to protect the student’s privacy.

5. Obtain a signed parental Release of Information form prior to the referring student to the agency.

   It is very important for school staff to obtain a signed Release of Information Form from the parent and/or guardian before you make a referral when making the referral to one of our partners. Obtaining a signed release is important for two reasons; first, it is a breach of federal educational confidentiality laws (FERPA) to give an outside agency student information without a release, and second, by obtaining the release you and the provider of service may then discuss freely the issues that relate to the student and can work together to improve the student’s educational and emotional achievement. The partners are responsible for turning the completed Referral Forms into the BHPC, which provides the Committee with the ability to track the students and collect data on school achievement. If you refer a student without using the Referral Form or tell parents to call an agency directly because of the difficulty in obtaining a signed release, you prevent the BHPC from maintaining an accurate data regarding the students who receive behavioral health services and the connection between behavioral health services and school achievement and you hinder the free exchange of information between you, the school and the provider. Another option for obtaining a Release is, if the family has access to the web through a computer with a printer, they could obtain the Release of Information Form, sign it and return it to you.

6. The school staff member referring a student for on-campus behavioral health services will complete the Student Referral Form* and forward it with a signed Release of Information form to the approved agency. (A suggestion: Make a 2-sided form, on one side the Referral Form and on the other side the Release of Information Form).

7. The school will not deny any educational service(s) to the student due to the lack of participation by the student and/or the family in the behavioral health service for which they are referred.

8. Maintain an updated list of students served by the agency (ies) on your campus.

9. Regularly check the Mental Health Provider Database for changes in agency services or    personnel.

10. The principal or designee will review and approve all student handouts prior to the agency’s distribution to the students.

11. If the Principal or designee is aware students on their campus are being denied services for any reason, including but not limited to the lack of Medicaid eligibility, they should immediately notify Barbara Myrick, SEDNET-KCW @ 754-321-2564.

12. Schools who wish to refer an ESE student to an approved partner agency should determine if “counseling” is listed on the student’s IEP.  If counseling is on the IEP this student should be receiving counseling services from a designated ESE Family Counselors.  If additional counseling is determined to be helpful, school personnel should consult with the ESE Family Counselor providing the IEP services or with their Area ESE Office, prior to making the referral to the partner agency. (Area ESE Offices: North – 754-321-3450; North Central – 754-321-6871; South Central – 754-321-3850; and, South – 754-321-3620.)

Attached are the Behavioral Health Partnership Student Referral Form and Release of Information Form, which are to be used for referral students to approved behavioral health agencies.

AGENCY RESPONSIBILITIES

1.      Begin the application process to become a Behavioral Health Partner by calling Lisa or Thema at 754-321-2564 to receive an application and Partnership Guidelines.

2.      Complete the application and submit it will all required attachments to the Behavioral Health Partnership Committee for approval. After your agency receives approval and your staff has been approved to provide direct services you may proceed, as follows.

3.      Meet with and obtain approval from school principal(s) to provide services.

4.      Receive a Student Referral Form from the referring school personnel specifying the need(s) of the student, along with a signed Release of Information form.

5.      Provide all students with equal access to services. Note: The school district is required to provide equal access and free and appropriate services to all students. This means that if your Agency, as a Behavioral Health Partner, accepts a student/family as a client through a referral from a school you may not charge the student/family/client for those services.

No student should be denied access to services based on the parent’s level of income/insurance coverage or the agency’s ability to obtain reimbursement from any funding sources.

If for some reason your Agency cannot accept the referral from the school, the agency staff will work with the school personnel and the family to refer the student to another agency that can accept the referral.

6.      Fax a completed copy of the Student Referral Form to Barbara Myrick @ 754-321-2724 within two weeks of the case being accepted by the agency and provide a copy to the school staff making the referral.

7.      Monitor agency staff to insure compliance with procedures established by the school principal for providing services on campus including but not limited to, adhering to agreed upon schedules, always having school district vendor badge, signing in and out of school, identifying students served during visit and coordinating with school designee.

8.      Provide information requested by the BHP Committee within the given timeframe. Data on students will be requested on a quarterly basis.

9.      On a quarterly basis provide a list of students being seen by agency and notify school when students complete services or are terminated.

10.     Submit all student handouts are to be approved by the principal or designee, in advance of giving them to students.

11.        Share with school staff the materials and methods to be used with students and identify expected outcomes of the services.

12.    Develop with input and approval of the parent or guardian a service or treatment plan for each student.

13.     Immediately notify the school and fax to the BHP Committee c/o Lisa Clarke @ 754-321-2724 any changes in agency staff or services your agency provides in the schools. Submit resumes and Level 2 Clearance letters of new staff to the BHP Committee prior to the delivery of services to students.

14.    Agree to comply with all School Board of Broward County standards of nondiscrimination: age, color, disability, gender, national origin, marital status, race, religion, or sexual orientation.

15.    Agree to participate in a monitoring and evaluation process for quality control.

Rev. 7/06