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1 1 (August 23, 2023)

handle is hein.crs/govempr0001 and id is 1 raw text is: Congressional Research Service Informing the legislative debate since 1914 6 August 23, 2023 Project AWARE Background Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education) is a school-based mental health grant program administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Project AWARE is carried out through SAMHSA's general authorities in Title V of the Public Health Service Act (PHSA); the program is not explicitly authorized in statute. Project AWARE supports activities that promote youth and adolescent mental well-being in schools, identify school-aged youth needing mental health services, increase access to mental health treatment, and improve mental health awareness among teachers and school personnel. Project AWARE originated as part of the Obama Administration's 2013 Now Is the Time initiative to reduce gun violence in response to the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. Project AWARE builds upon strategies from the preceding Safe Schools/Healthy Students initiative. These initiatives support community partnerships in school- based programming on violence and drug use prevention, safe school environments, early childhood social and emotional learning, and training and referrals to mental health services. Project AWARE consists of several grants: (1) Project AWARE State Educational Agency (State or SEA) grants, (2) Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma (ReCAST) grants, and (3) Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) grants (which have operated as a separate Mental Health Awareness Training grant program as of 2018). Project AWARE State Grants Project AWARE State Grants consist of competitive grants for school-based mental health programs and services. The State grants-the largest component of Project AWARE- aim to build SEA capacity, in partnership with state mental health agencies, to (1) increase mental health awareness among school-aged youth, (2) provide training for school personnel to identify mental health issues, and (3) connect school-aged youth and families with needed services. Grantees are required to develop collaborative partnerships with local educational agencies (LEAs), the state mental health agency, and local community behavioral health service providers (including minority-serving community- based organizations, health and mental health centers, and/or Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics). Project AWARE supports the use of a three-tiered public health model for school-based mental health activities (Figure 1). This model includes universal mental health promotion for all students, early intervention for students at high risk for problems, and treatment for students with more intensive needs. More specifically, in Tier 1 of this model (primary prevention and mental health promotion), schools implement teacher trainings and/or broad school climate or classroom interventions that promote mental well-being for all students. In Tier 2 (secondary prevention and brief intervention services), school-based screenings and interventions target students with increased risk factors or moderate behavioral health needs. In Tier 3 (tertiary prevention and behavioral health treatment), students in crises or with greater needs can access more intensive services at the school or through collaboration with community partners. Figure I. Public Health Model of School-Based Mental Health Activities Source: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Notes: This public health approach for school-based mental health is referred to as the multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) model. This public health approach for behavioral health adopted by schools is referred to as the multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) model. The MTSS approach is designed to provide a continuum of care that positively affects an entire school and creates a supportive school culture while offering specific interventions to meet the individual needs of each student. A comprehensive school-based mental health MTSS includes activities implemented across the three tiers to meet the various social, emotional, and behavioral needs of all students. Project AWARE grantees have flexibility to implement a spectrum of programming within the public health MTSS

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