School Linked and CoLocated Services Mental

Health Services in Dakota

County

Philosophy
The School Linked/Co-Located service is part
of a continuum of mental health services. Not
every child experiencing mental health
symptoms or behavioral issues, needs this
service. Other mental health supports such as
out-patient mental health services may be
more appropriate to a familys needs.

The right service at the right depth at

the right time

Why We Care?
Untreated mental health concerns are a
significant barrier to learning
There is a gap between mental health
needs and available services
There is a need for greater collaboration
and continuity of services among
professionals
Allows greater access to care

Terminology

Co-Located Mental Health Services- Mental

Health Agencies provide services at the childs
school. Typically schools designate space for
this service
School Linked Mental Health Services-schools
have a relationship with a designated mental
health provider to make referrals on behalf of
the child. The service may happen at the
school, home or community. It may involve
individual, family or both.

School Mental Health Care Continuum

TIER I: What all students need to be
successful:
Prevention/Mental Health Promotion
School-wide Climate
Caring Adults
TIER II: What some students need:
Small group skill building
Academic assistance
Check and connect
TIER III: What an individual student needs:
One-to-one connection
Individual interventions
Service coordination
Parent/family support
Mental health treatment
Individual/family
therapy
Day program/In-patient
placement

Community Based Mental

Health Services
Primary Care
Outpatient Community Mental Health Clinics and
Individual Mental Health Providers
County Sliding Fee Mental Health Providers
Day Treatment and Partial Hospitalization
Program.

Additional Community
Supports to Consider
Faith Based Supports-Youth Groups, Parenting Groups, Support
Groups
NAMI-MN Parent Support Program-Mental Health Navigation.
Disability Specific Support Groups for Parents and Siblings
Mentor Programs
Chemical Health Support Groups (AA, NA, Celebrate Recovery).
Basic Needs Programs: 360 Partners for Success Program,
Neighbors,
Family Service Inc. Salvation Army, CAP Agency.

Funding Sources
Insurance or Medical Assistance

Department of Human Services

Grants to Selected Mental Health
Providers
School & Local Collaborative Time Study
Funding

Minnesota Department of Human

Services-Grants to Mental Health
Providers?
The DHS grant pays for ancillary care, outreach and
limited financial supports to assist the uninsured
and underinsured through a sliding fee.
This is not a free program-insurance is billed and
parents are responsible for co-pays and deductibles.
The Mental Health providers all offer a sliding fees
and/or will work with the family on funding options
to pay for services,
Uninsured or underinsured families are encouraged
to apply for Mnsure. Both NAMI-MN and ARC Greater
Twin Cities have navigators to help assist with this.

Local Collaborative Time

Study (LCTS)
10 School Districts, Dakota County Juvenile Corrections
and Pubic Health staff participate in a computerized
random moment time study that annually generates
$400,000 for early intervention and mental health
projects in Dakota County.
The Dakota County Integrated Childrens Mental Health
& Family Service Collaborative decide how LCTS funds
are allocated.
For 2014/2015, $133,616 of the total collaborative
budget of $385,386 will be used for school linked/colocated services and early childhood mental health
services

Previous Model (2005- June

2014)
Child referred by school,
community or parent
Associated Clinic of
Psychology
Child receives school linked
mental health services

DHS Grant New Model

ACP

Child
Referr
al
FACTS

Canva
s
Healt
h

 Hastings K-12

ISD 192-All schools

ISD 194-Elementary, Middle, ALC &
South High School
ISD 195-Elementary & Secondary
ISD 197 Sibley High School
ISD 6- Elementary, CLC, Junior and
Senior High
ISD 199-All schools
ISD 196-ALC, High Schools,
Transition Plus, SES
917-Alliance

Early Childhood-All Districts

ISD 197 Middle Schools
ISD 196 Middle & Elementary
ISD 196-Dakota Ridge

Canvas
ACP
FACTS

DHS Grant (Co-located and School

Linked)

School & LCTS Funded Mental

Health Programs (Co-Located)
School District

Mental Health Provider

Special School District 6

Headway

ISD 191Burnsville/Egan/Savage

Headway

ISD 196-Rosemount/Apple
Valley/Eagan
*in select schools

ISD 194-Lakeville
*in select schools

Lakeville Behavioral Health

FACTS
Both and Resources
Waters Edge Counseling
Life Development

Roles in Co-located Model

School Staff
Provide school-wide
services
Provide solutionfocused brief
counseling services
Facilitate personal,
social, and academic
interventions
Service coordination of
students
Identify appropriate
referrals co-located
services
Response to individual
mental health crisis

Co-located Staff
Provide diagnostic
assessment
In-depth individual
therapeutic services
Augment work done by
school support staff to
achieve broad continuum of
care
Collaborate with school
staff to help students reach
treatment goals
Provide feedback related to
coping strategies & tools
useful in school setting for
students.

Service Delivery
Each school has a designated mental health provider
assigned to them.
In some cases two providers are assigned to the same
school district
Each school has determined their own internal referral
process and whether that service is Co-Located/School
Linked or a combination of the two.
Each agency has a different therapeutic model.
Each therapist assigned to a school has different
levels of availability to do in-home work with the family.
Depending upon availability, a referral source together
with the mental health provider may consider
additional referrals for in-home using the same agency
or a different agency.

Service Coordination
Coordinated care and communication is best
practice. In some cases a child will be accessing
co-located for behavioral regulation at school and
then the family will also be receiving skills work,
that may have been arranged by the Childrens
Mental Health worker.
In some cases multiple mental health providers
may be working with a family. The mental health
providers should communicate and coordinate
billing.

Referrals

Each district has a referral contact. The school contact

person triages each request.
The Mental Health provider will complete a Diagnostic
Assessment to determine if the child meets criteria to
receive mental health services
If additional mental health supports are needed such as inhome family services or skills work, the mental health
provider will determine if they can provide this services in
addition to the school linked/co-located supports they are
already providing or if an additional referral is needed.

Mental Health
Assignments
Each MH agency has a designated
lead. Contact them with questions
or concerns.
The Dakota County Collaborative
Board will monitor this new
multiple provider model.

Canvas Health
Family Innovations
Washburn
Wilder Child Guidance
Center
FACTS
Serves all school
districts in Dakota
County

FACTS

DHS
Early
Childhoo
d
Grantees
LCTS
Grant
DHS
School
Linked
Grant

Early Childhood Mental Health

Grants

Child identified as having behavioral

concerns. Screening may or may not
have occurred

Referral made to Preschool Screening

or Help Me Grow

Referral Made to Early Childhood

Mental Health Providers

Early Childhood services at FACTS

Intensive
Intensive in
home/
community
skills and
therapy
support
PASS day
treatment
program

Weekly in
home services

DA/DC 03
assessm
ent

Out patient
services

Coordinated Care
FACTS-Early Childhood staff will work
with designated school linked/colocated staff when a child enters
Kindergarten and FACTS is not assigned
to the childs school.
FACTS, ACP and Canvas work together
on referral process and are part of
Dakota County Interagency Early
Intervention Committee.

How Do We Know We Are

Successful?
Improve identification of children and youth with mental health needs
and disorders.
Increased accessibility for uninsured and underinsured children to
school connected services
Improved clinical and functional outcomes for children with a mental
health diagnosis.
Improve program capacity, qualify and infrasturuce development
required to expand and sustain services long term.

Department of Human Services performance

Indicators as required in June 3, 2014 Request for
Proposals.