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Deschutes County Behavioral Health Safe Schools Assessment Process

Deschutes County Behavioral Health (DCBH) is a member of the Deschutes County Safe School Alliance whose goal is preventing violence in schools. As a member, DCBH provides Safe School Assessment (SSA) services to Bend-La Pine, Redmond, and Sisters area public schools who request this service when they identify a student who may be a risk to others. SSA – Direct School Referrals Participating schools perform a preliminary risk screening when a student has presented threatening, aggressive, or violent behavior in or connected to the school. If a school determines that the student needs a more thorough assessment, the student is referred to DCBH for a SSA by contacting the SSA identified point of contact (POC). To facilitate a referral, participating schools have been provided with SSA referral forms that detail the process and required materials. These forms are available through the school district contacts. They are also available at DCBH if necessary. DCBH will not assign and schedule an assessment until ALL referral materials have been received from the school. Those materials are:  Fully completed referral form including detailed information about the event for which youth was referred and contact information for the family/guardian of the youth  Completed Risk Screening/Assessment  Legally sufficient Request for Information from the school to DCBH  Copies of school records, including: attendance for past 2 years; grades for past 2 years; behavioral reports as far back as possible; IEP/504 if applicable; any psycho-educational testing the district has conducted on the youth. Note: If information is missing from the referral packet, the school administrator, psychologist, or counselor that conducted the Risk Screen/Assessment will be contacted immediately to obtain missing information or forms. Upon receipt of a complete referral, the DCBH POC assigns the SSA to staff trained in the SSA protocol, a Safe School Evaluator (SSE). The SSE proceeds with an in depth assessment process that involves the following steps:  Intensive interview of the student and his or her family members  Collection and review of available collateral information from the school and other sources (mental health therapist, coach, mentor, law enforcement, etc.)  Formulation of a preliminary assignment of risk level in identified domains  Consultation with the school staff or identified team members, including parents when appropriate, to provide information about risk and establish a risk mitigation plan  Completion of a detailed written report which includes a scale of elevated risk factors based on information collected, a summary of assessed needs of the student, and a written risk mitigation plan  Submission of the report to the school If DCBH is unable to schedule a family for an initial interview within five (5) business days from receipt of the referral, the SSE will contact the school to inform the school that an assessment has not been scheduled. SSAs are voluntary. Neither the youth nor their family is required to participate, unless there is a court order requiring them to do so. If a youth or his/her family declines to participate, SSE will contact the school immediately and inform them of the youth/family’s decision. Sometimes parents want to set up a Safe School Assessment for their child because they have heard about the process and are seeking help. However, only participating schools, or the Juvenile Department if the youth is in custody, can make a referral for a SSA. DCBH does not conduct SSAs for youth in private schools or by individual referral. SSAs are offered at no cost to the family. Participating school districts cover the cost and are billed directly. Note: School staff or identified school teams – not the SSE – ultimately determines whether the student may return to school or receive an alternate school placement