Webinar in-service training, highlights partnership program between group home provider and Mt. Diablo Unified School District in Contra Costa County, CA. Best practice for meeting the mental health needs of foster youth

1. 1
Mt. Diablo Unified School District
Foster Youth Services
Interagency Collaboration:
Meeting the mental health needs of
foster youth in CA group homes (LCIs).

2. Co-Presented by:
James C. Wogan, MFT, LCSW
Administrator, School Linked Services
Mt. Diablo Unified School District
2730 Salvio Street, Concord CA 94519
925.682.8000; 3054
woganj@mdusd.org or
jameswogan@yahoo.com
Derek Wang, LCSW, PPSC
Barbara Ropati, ______
California Foster Youth Education Summit – 2015

3. Mt. Diablo Unified School District
1936 Carlotta Drive
Concord, CA 94510
925.682.8000; 3054
www.mdusd.org
•Bay Area, California, 30 Miles East of San Francisco
•34,000 students K-12
•50 schools & Adult Education. Diverse population
•Significant Disproportionality
•Established Equity Advisory Committee
•Foster Youth Services (FYS) – School district program dedicated to the
educational success of foster youth.

4. LCAP: Foster Youth Stakeholders

5. Foster Youth Education Stakeholders

6. Interagency Collaboration
Child Welfare, Mental Health, Group Homes, Education
AGENCIES AT THE TABLE
•Child and Family Services (CFS) - Placement
Supervisors.
•Youth Homes Inc. (Group Home) - Mental Health
Clinicians and Supervisors
•County Children’s Mental Health (CMH) – Clinicians
•Mt. Diablo Unified School District Foster Youth Services
(MDUSD FYS) - School Social Workers
•Contra Costa County Office of Education
– Educational Liaison
•Shared Employee: Group home & School District
– MSW / Transition Specialist / Case Manager

7. Interagency Collaboration
Child Welfare, Mental Health, Group Homes, Education
•Meeting held monthly at Child and Family Services
(Child Welfare, Contra Costa County, CA)
•Discusses foster youth who reside in Lic. Care
Institutions (Group Homes)
•Reviews health, mental health, and educational
background information.
•Develops plans across agencies to deliver
coordinated services.
•Develops plans to support foster youth with special
needs, including expedited special education
assessment (Title I N funded), when indicated.

8. Interagency Collaboration
Child Welfare, Mental Health, Group Homes, Education
“Example: “Joaquin” – severe mental health needs. Request
for psycho-educational assessment / initial IEP.
Expedited psycho-educational assessment that incorporated
mental health diagnosis and information.
“Joan” – Connected with LGBTQ support at school.

9. Education and Group Homes: Working Together
Mt. Diablo Unified School District
Partnership Agreement /
Memorandum of Understanding
with
Youth Homes, Inc.
Approved by Board of Education: September 25, 2013

10. Partnership Agreement
Education and Group Homes, working together
Mt. Diablo Unified School District & Youth Homes Inc.
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
Formalized long standing partnership between school district
and group home provider.
Allows group home staff members to provide support services at
district schools.
Allows district personnel to work in group homes (school
psychologist, teachers, etc.)
Evidence of interagency collaboration for grants, categorical
funding.
Mutually indemnifies school district and group home provider.

11. Partnership Agreement
Education and Group Homes, working together
.
“Kayla” – Temporarily in group with plan to move her to a
Residential Treatment Facility (Higher Level of Care)
Kayla stabilized, remained in district, doing well with
support from school and group home.
Proactive Support vs. Reactive Suspension
Girls at group home planned to fight >
Proactive communication from group home to school >
Conflict mediation at school, counseling.

12. Spotlight on Foster Youth Empowerment Groups
• Group counseling: Foster Youth Group meets weekly at High
School and Continuation High School.
• Co-led by School Social Worker and Social Work Intern.
• Creates safe, confidential environment where foster youth
share feelings, current stressors and accomplishments with
peers who understand the complexity of their lives.
• Facilitates Youth-to-Youth support and connection.
• Bond of support at school: Foster youth said that they no
longer feel “invisible and depersonalized by acronyms.”
• Prepares foster youth for life after high school.
• Permanency of relationships, support after graduation.

13. Foster Youth in MDUSD
• PHOTO OF GROUP – kids at school?
•
Chairs in circle?

14. Foster Youth in MDUSD
• Systems in Place: Foster Youth Services (FYS) district-wide.
School Coordinated Care Teams. Designated administrator for foster
youth at each school. Public / private agency partnerships.
• Trends: Fewer foster youth / dependents of the court, however,
needs have increased, i.e. mental health, trauma / PTSD, danger to
self and others.
• Data: School social work (support services) lead to increased rates
of attendance and decreased suspension / disciplinary incidents.
• Support services combined with academic intervention leads to
increased GPA, attainment of high school credits, and graduation.
• Outcome Measures / Equity: Discipline / Suspension. Access to
advanced classes. Who is ED? Who isn’t? Who gets moved?
Who doesn’t?

15. 7 Keys to Educating Foster Youth:
Technical Support for School Districts
1) Identification of Foster Youth
2) Training of district personnel and educational partners
(toolkit)
3) Immediate Enrollment strategies (incl. special
education).
4) Support Services
5) Legislation / Board Policy / AR
6) Interagency Collaboration
7) Fiscal Planning and Accountability
Empowered – Inspired – Engaged
It takes a village

16. Photo shared with
permission
May is National
Foster Care
Month