Connection to Systems of Care
The New York State Office of Mental Health Division of Integrated Community Services for Children and Families (NYS OMH DCF) is interested in learning about the school mental health systems across the state and have designed this pilot using a nationally developed assessment. It is our hope that schools will engage in assessing their current mental health system and identify areas of improvement for the future. DCF staff will assist in preparing a district or school to complete the assessment and to debrief on the resulting report. As schools make plans to address the changing mental health needs of their students, DCF will ensure connection to the children’s local System of Care.
Overview
The School Health Assessment and Performance Evaluation (SHAPE) System is a web-based platform that offers schools, districts, and states/territories targeted resources to support school mental health quality improvement.
SHAPE was developed by the National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH), in partnership with the field, to increase the quality and sustainability of comprehensive school mental health systems.
SHAPE includes the following assessments for team completion at the school or district level:
- School Mental Health Quality Assessment (SMH-QA)
- National School Mental Health Census
- Trauma Responsive Schools Implementation Assessment
- Organizational Well-being Inventory
- Culturally Responsive, Anti-Racist, and Equitable Schools Quality Assessment
- School Mental Health Family Engagement Quality Assessment
These assessments:
- Document the school mental health system components
- Assess the comprehensiveness of a school mental health system
- Prioritize quality improvement efforts
- Track improvement over time
School Mental Health Quality Assessment
The School Mental Health Quality Assessment will help your team assess the quality of your school mental health system based on seven domains and associated best practices.
- Teaming
- Needs Assessments & Resource Mapping
- MH Screening
- MH Promotion Services & Supports (Tier 1)
- Early Intervention & Treatment Services & Supports (tiers 2 & 3)
- Funding & Sustainability
- Impact
Completion of all seven domains provides the most thorough view of your current school mental health system; however, you can pick and choose which domains to complete. Teams receive customized reports based on their responses. These reports align with free resources in the Resource Center to guide decision-making.
- Access the School Mental Health Quality Assessment with SHAPE registration.
- Access a printable version of the full District Quality Assessment
- Access a printable version of the full School Quality Assessment
- Getting Started Video
School Mental Health Census / School Mental Health Profile
The School/District Mental Health Profile is a good place to start your planning processes. The School/District Mental Health Profile collects information and provides a snapshot of the following.
- Multi-tiered services and supports
- Staffing
- Financing
- Data systems of your school/district mental health system
Completing the profile provides a snapshot of the services, data systems, and staffing supports already at play in your school/district.
- Celebrate what your school/district has already been able to accomplish!
- Use the results to guide discussions about how to maximize your system’s quality, given these existing staffing or funding restraints.
- Maximize the efficiency of these strategic planning discussions by having all the information about the structure of your school mental health system in one place.
- You can complete the profile on the SHAPE site or by paper and pencil (before transferring answers to the online version):
- Access the School Mental Profile with SHAPE registration
- Access a printable District Version of the School Mental Health Profile
- Access a printable School Version of the School Mental Health Profile
- Completing School Mental Health Profile Video
Trauma Responsive Assessment
The Trauma Responsive Schools Implementation Assessment (TRS-IA) is an evidence-informed quality improvement tool. The self-assessment comprises eight key domains and takes less than 20 minutes to complete.
- Whole School Safety Planning
- Whole School Prevention Planning
- Whole School Trauma Programming
- Classroom Strategies
- Prevention/Early Intervention Trauma Programming
- Targeted Trauma-Informed Programming
- Staff Self Care
- Family and Community Engagement
Feedback reports and comprehensive guides to enhancing trauma-responsive programming are generated upon completion.
- Access the TRSA-IA with SHAPE Registration
- Access a full TRS-IA printable assessment
You can view additional Trauma Informed Resources on the SHAPE Resources page.
Organizational Well-being Inventory for Schools
The Organizational Well-being Inventory for Schools (OWBI-S) provides an overview of the organizational well-being of your school system, often surfacing numerous strengths and opportunities for improvement or growth. The assessment comprises eight key domains and takes less than 20 minutes to complete.
- Work Climate and Environment
- Input, Flexibility, and Autonomy
- Professional Development and Recognition
- Organizational and Supervisory Support
- Self-Care and Self-Compassion
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access
- Purpose and Meaningfulness
- Professional Quality of Life
Feedback reports and comprehensive guides will be generated to support schools and districts as they work to enhance their organizational well-being.
- Access the OWBI-S with SHAPE Registration
- Access the printable version of the OWBI-S Assessment
Culturally Responsive, Anti-Racist, and Equitable Schools Quality Assessment
The Culturally Responsive, Anti-Racist, and Equitable Schools Quality Assessment (CARES-QA) is designed for teams to assess CARE practices and identify priority areas for improvement. The assessment comprises five key domains and takes approximately 15 minutes to complete.
- Teaming and Collaboration
- School Climate
- School Discipline
- Curricula and Teaching Practices
- Professional Development
The CARE Assessment provides examples of ways schools can create an environment that reflects values around diversity, equity, and inclusion. Your team will receive custom reports as you complete each domain and strategic planning guides for next steps.
- Access the CARE Assessment with SHAPE Registration
- Access the printable version of the CARE Assessment
School Mental Health Family Engagement Quality Assessment
The School Mental Health Family Engagement Quality Assessment (SMHFE-QA) includes two sections to assess family engagement and partnerships in your school mental health system. The two domains offer an opportunity to improve engagement from two directions by accounting for the family and programmatic needs, the relationship, and the environment. This assessment takes approximately 15 minutes to complete.
- Frequency schools engage in specific activities to partner with caregivers to promote positive mental health outcomes for students
- School’s ability to meet caregiver expectations for a high-quality school mental health system
This tool provides suggestions for action planning that can be tailored to meet your local school community’s needs using the resources located in the SHAPE resource library.