Student Support Services

• Regional School Safety Center: PSESD offers no-cost training and support in developing threat assessment processes, using the Washington State adapted Salem-Kaiser Cascade Model. Additionally, through cooperative membership, we offer consultation, facilitation, and support for both school-based and community multi-disciplinary threat assessments on demand. Through district Safety Cooperative membership, PSESD provides a series of school safety related training as well as an annual School Safety Summit.
   
• Student Assistance:  Since the early 1990s, the Student Assistance Prevention Intervention Services has been available in secondary schools across the region. Student Assistance programs represent a comprehensive model for the delivery of prevention, intervention, and support services. Student assistance services are designed to identify and reduce student substance use and more recently has grown to address student mental health through universal education, direct services, and peer leadership strategies. Services are located at various locations including contracted partner districts, CPWI coalition communities, and through a fee for service model.
   
• Coalition Support:  PSESD is acting as the fiscal agent to two state-funded drug-free youth coalitions; Coalition for Drug Free Youth in the White Center/North Burien community (Highline School District) and INSPIRE Youth in the Spanaway community (Bethel School District).
   
• School Nursing: With a focus on supporting small districts, our school nurse administrator is poised to offer consultation and organize relevant training for all nurses across the region. This year, we will offer school nurse training and consultation services to charter schools as well as direct school nursing services to PSESD’s ReLife School.
   
• Regional Networking and PLCs: PSESD offers regular regional network meetings and professional learning collaboratives for various school professionals including school counselors and social workers, school safety staff, and district leaders in the areas of social emotional learning and student support services. Learn more about RNM and PLC opportunities in PD Enroller. 
   

• Behavioral Health Student Assistance Program provides a comprehensive, school-based approach for behavioral health support services by utilizing a multi-tiered systems of support framework. Our program places Behavioral Health Assistants trained in evidence-based approaches into schools to provide Tier 1 universal prevention programs, as well as Tier 2 interventions and support for students experiencing mental health challenges. We provide referral and coordination of Tier 3 interventions and supports for students

• Behavioral Health Navigator:  The BHN program provides mental health and behavioral health services coordination. We are learning from schools and community providers about the structural and technical barriers for youth accessing services and facilitating the removal of such barriers, while fostering partnerships across multiple systems. As another key component of the BHN role, PSESD is positioned to offer no-cost suicide prevention, intervention, post-vention policy and procedure guidance, incident consultation, and training.
   
• Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) Consultations: Are you struggling with how to support a student who has multiple needs - mental health, substance abuse, safety, medical, disabilities, ect? Come receive mental health, substance use, school safety, medical and disability recommendations and resources from experts all in one place.

PSESD’s Student Support Services is proud to offer trainings to support ESAs with required learning. We lead regularly occurring trainings in Issues of Abuse and PESB-approved suicide prevention. We are also certified instructors for Youth Mental Health First Aid and offer this training throughout the year. See PD Enroller for more information. 

We also offer specialized trainings to meet the unique needs of district partners, schools, families, and communities. We specialize in supporting learning for various topics such as youth suicide prevention/intervention/postvention, school safety and crisis response, mental health and trauma informed approaches, and community-based and school-based substance use prevention. We are happy to create a customized training to meet your needs or offer one of our standing trainings such as Issues of Abuse, PESB-approved suicide prevention, or Youth Mental Health First Aid specifically for your community, school, or district.

Other Resources

The following resources are meant to assist districts in maintaining a quality McKinney-Vento program that includes sensitive and thorough identification strategies, regular staff trainings, inter-agency collaboration, and community-wide awareness of the issues facing homeless children and youth.

• Washington Alliance for Students Experiencing Homelessness – This site is for anyone who is invested in the educational support of homeless students in Washington State – whether you are a youth without a home, a community service member, or an educator, we are here to help. As you navigate this site you will find information directed to specific audiences, resources, technical assistance, and great ideas for helping Washington students succeed.
• Homeless with Homework Staff Training – This 15 minute, individual web-based training gives staff a basic overview of McKinney-Vento law and best practices. The presentation ends with a short quiz, and gives each participant a certificate to verify their completion of the training. This is an excellent tool for self-paced, mandatory staff McKinney-Vento trainings.
• McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act – A Quick Reference for Homeless Children & Youth Liaisons – Informational brochure from ESD 105.
• Information for Students and Families Living in Transition – Brochure from ESD 105 with area for printing local school district contact information.
• Determining Eligibility – This brief from the National Center for Homeless Education is an excellent guide for making a sensitive and thorough determination of McKinney-Vento eligibility.
• Higher Education Resources for Homeless Youths – Links to financial aid, FAFSA, and other information from the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth.
• Local Homeless Education Liaison Toolkit – From the National Center for Homeless Education
• REACH: Restore Educational Access to Children who are Homeless – 11-minute video explaining the educational rights of homeless children under the McKinney-Vento Homeless Education Assistance Act.
• Independent Youth Housing Program – Coordinated locally by Catholic Family & Child Service, this program provides rent subsidy, tenant rights education, money management training, roommate facilitation, and assistance on finding an apartment in your community.  Application form (PDF)
• Frequently Asked Questions – Information on the rights of students in homeless situations from the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth.
• Enrollment Addendum Form in English and Spanish – This form can be used as an enrollment addendum to help capture McKinney-Vento eligible students at registration.

State Resources

• OSPI – Homeless Education
• DSHS Community Services Division
• Washington State Coalition for the Homeless
• Youth Care
• Independence for Foster Youth

National Resources

• National Law Center on Homeless  and Poverty
• National Center for Homeless Education at SERVE
• U.S. Dept. of Education – Education for Homeless Children and Youth
• The National Network for Youth
• National Alliance to End Homelessness
• National Center for Housing and Child Welfare
• Homelessness Resource Center
• Runaway/Homeless Youth and Dating Violence Tool Kit