HOUSE BILL REPORT
HB 2532
BYRepresentatives Phillips, Fuhrman, Cole, Holland, Brekke, Peery, H. Myers, Rasmussen, K. Wilson, Pruitt, Rector, Crane, Jones, Dellwo, Scott, Rayburn, P. King, Kremen, Spanel, Winsley, Todd and Sprenkle
Regarding early intervention and prevention projects.
House Committe on Education
Majority Report: Do pass as amended. (13)
Signed by Representatives Peery, Chair; G. Fisher, Vice Chair; Betrozoff, Ranking Republican Member; Brumsickle, Cole, Holland, Horn, Jones, P. King, Rayburn, Schoon, Valle and Walker.
House Staff:Susan Patrick (786-7111)
AS REPORTED BY COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION JANUARY 31, 1990
BACKGROUND:
In the 1983-85 biennium, the division of mental health put in place 10 Primary Intervention Projects in selected school districts. The program was based on the Primary Mental Health Program of Rochester, New York which has been in operation since 1958. The purpose of the program was to identify children with social and emotional problems or early signs of being at-risk and to provide support and treatment for these children to prevent greater problems in later life. The original projects were placed in the following school districts: Seattle, Highline, Clarkston, Federal Way, Edmonds, Mukelteo, Lake Stevens, San Juan, Selah and Toppenish. Funding for these programs has been at the discretion of the division of mental health. In 1988, the Governor's Task Force on Children included as one of its recommendations that the Primary Intervention Program be expanded to a statewide program.
SUMMARY:
BILL AS AMENDED: It is the intent of the Legislature to establish a school-based early prevention and intervention project designed for the early detection and prevention of emotional, behavioral and learning problems in the primary grades. The goal of the program is, by early intervention, to prevent problems in later life and to allow the child to derive the maximum benefit from school.
The secretary of the Department of Social & Health Services may grant funds to selected school districts to implement the school-based early intervention project. The secretary, in consultation with the Superintendent of Public Instruction, shall develop guidelines for the projects including the following elements: (1) the project shall serve children in grades kindergarten through three; (2) children above grade three may be served if they represent no more than 15 percent of the participants; (3) the project shall serve children referred by the screening program, teachers, pupil service personnel, parents or community agencies; and (4) parental consent is required before screening or participation and parents should be involved in the treatment plan.
The intervention project shall have a core team consisting of a children's mental health professional and staff paraprofessionals. Children's mental health professional is defined as a school district psychologist, social worker or elementary counselor, a licensed physician or osteopath, a psychiatrist or psychologist or persons holding a masters degree in nursing, social work or behavior or the medical field with two years of supervised experience working with emotionally or behaviorally disturbed children. One of the paraprofessionals shall act as the project coordinator.
The children's mental health professional shall be responsible for: preparing school personnel to work with the project; planning and conducting screening; supervising and scoring screening components; interpreting screening data to parents and teachers; developing a referral system; making decisions on accepting children into the project; developing a home program involving parents; recruiting, training, evaluating and supervising paraprofessionals; conducting conferences to assess children's progress and the status of the project; and establishing a procedure for referring children to other services in the public or private sector.
The project coordinator paraprofessional, working under the supervision of the children's mental health professional, shall provide services to children and be responsible for coordinating the communications about the project to the school, children's mental health professional and parents. The project coordinator shall also schedule appointments and maintain records. Training for the paraprofessional shall include child development, children's behavior problems, parent and child relationships, intervention skills, and crisis intervention.
No later than September 1, 1990, the Department of Social & Health Services shall issue to school districts a request for proposals consistent with the provisions of this chapter. No later than January 1, 1991, the Department of Social & Health Services shall contract with at least three school districts to provide school-based early intervention projects for a period of two years. The cost of the projects shall be funded based on 70 percent state mental health funds and 30 percent school district funds. The school district share may be partially financed by cash or in-kind contributions, including staff, space, equipment, materials and administrative services. The space should be attractive and engaging to young children and the equipment should include items that encourage child participation in expressive play.
Projects shall be selected based on the following minimum criteria: (1) availability of professional and other program staff with related experience and interest in early intervention; (2) evidence of future stability of the program and personnel; (3) the application site would serve a wide range of economic, ethnic and cultural populations; (4) demonstration of strong support by the staff of the school district and a written agreement with a community mental health provider for outgoing referrals; (5) assurance that the grants will supplement existing local resources; and (6) assurance that the project will not replace or adversely affect any existing special education program the school district currently provides.
The project shall be administered by the Department of Social & Health Services. A committee composed of administrators from the department, including the division of mental health and the bureau of children's services; the Superintendent of Public Instruction; local school district; licensed community mental health providers and other community representatives will assist the department in selecting projects and providing ongoing coordination, monitoring and evaluation.
The Department of Social & Health Services shall adopt rules to carry out the provisions of this act. The department shall also be responsible for the cost of ongoing training and consultation provided by the department. Training shall be consistent with the demonstrated model and one of the original sites shall become a demonstration training research center in the future.
Implementation of the program is subject to the inclusion of an appropriation for this purpose in the appropriations act.
AMENDED BILL COMPARED TO ORIGINAL: The appropriation is removed and the program will be implemented only if an appropriation for this program is included in the appropriations act.
Fiscal Note: Available.
House Committee ‑ Testified For: Rep. Larry Phillips and Jann Hoppler, Mental Health Division, Department of Social & Health Services.
House Committee - Testified Against: No one.
House Committee - Testimony For: This is a program with a proven track record. The program has been expanded to 12 new sites in the last year. It is an effective program that addresses the mental health needs of children early in their lives. The program started in New York over 30 years ago and continues to meet the complex needs of children.
House Committee - Testimony Against: None.