SAP COUNTY COORDINATION UPDATE December, 2012

PENNSYLVANIA NETWORK FOR STUDENT ASSISTANCE SERVICES INTERAGENCY UPDATE

SAP Team and Liaison Surveys In order to provide you the SAP professional with the current programmatic information, the PA Network for Student Assistance Services (PNSAS) is updating their contact lists for the Student Assistance Program statewide. We would appreciate your assistance in obtaining information from your school building or from your agency. The annual SAP survey for school SAP teams and SAP liaison provider agencies will be posted in early November on the SAP website at www.sap.state.pa.us. Please complete and email to the SAP regional coordinator for your area. If you are unsure who your regional coordinator is you can view the map of the Pennsylvania Network for Student Assistance Services on the home page. Please email your surveys to your regional coordinator by December 7, 2012.

SAP Frequently Asked Questions In response to a common training question, below is a reminder of the SAP training requirement for team members. Three items from the SAP Frequently Asked Questions are noted:

At a minimum, who should be members of the SAP team? Team members (minimum of four per building) should be representatives from any or all of the following groups: administration, teacher, counselor, psychologist, school social worker, nurse, or other related professional staff. All team members must be appropriately trained by a Commonwealth Approved SAP Training Provider. The size of the team should be sufficient to effectively handle the caseload.

What is the role of Administration on the Student Assistance Team? The Building Administrator and a member from the Central Office Administration need to receive Commonwealth Approved SAP Training. The Central Office Administrator is an ad-hoc member to the SAP team(s) in the district and helps to ensure that the SAP teams are operational. The Building Administrator is a regular member on the SAP team.

What training is required for SAP team members? Professional training for team members in all phases of the student assistance process, which is consistent with state guidelines and conducted by a training provider approved by the Commonwealth SAP Interagency Committee, is required. This ensures the appropriateness of the recommended services, effective interagency collaboration, and compliance with state and federal laws protecting the privacy rights of parents and students. Student assistance team members are trained to identify problems, determine whether or not the representing problems lie within the responsibility of the school, and make recommendations to assist the student and the parent.

1 The rigorous training required for team members, which results in a certificate from the Commonwealth Approved Training Provider, ensures the board of school directors, school administrators, parents, students and the public that team members have received up-to-date professional training. Training is consistent with accountable standards and appropriate professional procedures. Commonwealth-Approved SAP Training Providers issue certificates to trainees after completion of the training and on-site competency assignments.

The “SAP Frequency Asked Questions and Best Practice Responses” and the “Basic Education Circular” are located on the SAP website at: www.sap.state.pa.us.

RESOURCES

PA Office of Attorney General Free Educational Programs The Office of Attorney General (OAG) offers a number of exciting new and improved educational programs to help schools and parents empower children with knowledge to keep them safe online and off. From internet safety to drug abuse prevention to gun violence, these unique programs feature customized lesson plans, interactive learning activities and powerful messages that speak directly to students. They are all free of charge and OAG speakers are available to visit schools. Contact the OAG Education and Outreach Office at [email protected] or call 1-800-525-7642. Visit the website at www.attorneygeneral.gov.

HHS/CDC Announces Resources for Parent Engagement in School Health Parents play a crucial role in supporting their children’s health and learning at school. Research shows that parent engagement in schools is closely linked to better student behavior, higher academic achievement, and enhanced social skills. Parent engagement also makes it more likely that children and adolescents will avoid unhealthy behaviors, such as sexual-risk behaviors and tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announces new resources on parent engagement in school health based on the “ Parent Engagement: Strategies for Involving Parents in School Health” document released earlier this year. These resources, which include a facilitator’s guide for school staff development, PowerPoint® slides, and fact sheets for school administrators, school staff, and parents, define and describe parent engagement in schools and identify specific strategies and actions that schools can take to increase parent engagement. These resources were developed in collaboration with expert researchers, public health practitioners, and educators.

These resources define and describe parent engagement in schools and identify specific strategies and actions that schools can take to increase parent engagement in school health. These resources were developed in collaboration with expert researchers, public health practitioners, and educators.

Please visit the CDC Healthy Youth Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/ to access the new parent engagement resources.

National Girls Institute Releases Findings of Listening Sessions on Needs The U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention’s (OJJDP) National Girls Institute (NGI) has released “Voices From the Field: Findings From the NGI Listening Sessions” Stakeholders—at-risk or justice system-involved girls, parents and caregivers, and practitioners—who attended listening sessions that NGI held across the nation informed the report. The report details training, technical assistance, and informational needs that the 600-plus participants identified as well as recommendations for the field. View the report at http://www.nationalgirlsinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/NGI-Listening- Sessions-report.pdf/ . OJJDP sponsors the National Girls Institute. Learn more at http://www.nationalgirlsinstitute.org/.

2 The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Impaired Driving Campaign NHTSA is kicking off its pre-holiday season on December 1, 2012. The campaign has a plethora of marketing materials available to coalitions that plan to conduct local campaigns with law enforcement organizations across the country this December. The campaigns remind people that during the holidays and throughout the year, drinking alcohol and driving do not mix and that Buzzed Driving is Drunk Driving. According to the NHTSA, 32,885 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes during 2010 and 31 percent (10,228) of those fatalities involved alcohol-impaired drivers. The holiday season is particularly dangerous. During December 2010, 2,597 people lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes, and 775 of those were killed in crashes involving alcohol- impaired drivers. To download materials for your campaign, visit www.TrafficSafetyMarketing.gov. U.S. Department of Justice, OJP/OJJDP Bulletin Discusses Community Supervision of Underage Drinker. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has released, “Community Supervision of Underage Drinkers.” The authors provide a theoretical overview on which to base policies, procedures, and practices that will help professionals—and their corresponding agencies—effectively supervise underage drinkers in the community. They also discuss the legal issues that professionals may encounter when working with these youth. This bulletin is part of OJJDP’s Underage Drinking series, which underscores the dangers of underage drinking and provides guidelines to assist communities in developing treatment and prevention programs. View and download “Community Supervision of Underage Drinkers” at http://www.ojjdp.gov/pubs/237147.pdf.

Updated National Directory of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment Programs is Now Available A new, updated guide to finding local substance abuse treatment programs is now available from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The National Directory of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment Programs 2012 provides information on thousands of alcohol and drug treatment programs located in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and four U.S. territories.

The National Directory includes a nationwide inventory of public and private substance abuse and alcoholism treatment programs and facilities that are licensed, certified, or otherwise approved by substance abuse agencies in each state. The National Directory is organized in a state-by-state format for quick reference by health care providers, social workers, managed care organizations, and the general public and provides information on more than 11,000 community substance abuse treatment programs.

The directory provides important information on levels of care and types of facilities, including those with programs for adolescents, persons with co-occurring substance abuse and mental disorders, individuals living with HIV/AIDS, and pregnant women. In addition, information is available on forms of payment accepted, special language services available with select providers, and whether methadone or buprenorphine therapy is offered.

The updated directory complements SAMHSA’s internet-based Substance Abuse Treatment Services Locator -- the online service, which is updated regularly and may contain more current information, provides searchable road maps to the nearest treatment facilities, complete addresses, phone numbers, and specific information on services available. This electronic, searchable version of SAMHSA’s updated National Directory of Drug and Alcohol Abuse Treatment Programs is available on the Web at http://FindTreatment.samhsa.gov/ . Hard copies of the National Directory may be obtained free of charge by calling 1-877-SAMHSA-7 (1-877-726-4727). Request inventory number SMA12-4675. For related publications and information, visit http://www.samhsa.gov/

SAMHSA Publishes Guide, Supporting Infants, Toddlers and Families Impacted by Caregiver Mental Health Problems, Substance Abuse, and Trauma Younger children are especially vulnerable to life stressors such as physical or sexual abuse, exposure to domestic violence, witnessing community violence, and depending on parents with mental health and substance abuse problems. The more of these harmful experiences a child is exposed to, the more likely the child will have difficulty with social and emotional functioning in childhood, exhibit cognitive problems, fail in school, and have high levels of

3 mental health problems and substance abuse as an adult. This publication provides resources service providers, advocates, and practitioners can use to engage communities in responding to and building resilience among children whose caregivers are negatively impacted by mental illness, substance abuse, or trauma. Go to http://tinyurl.com/csa97fc to download.

National Drugs Facts Week 2013 The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) of the National Institutes of Health at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services invites you to participate in the third annual National Drug Facts Week (NDFW) from January 28– February 3, 2013. NDFW is a health observance week to help teens shatter the myths about drugs and drug abuse and to get factual answers through community-based events and activities. NIDA encourages communities across the country to organize educational events and activities for local teens. Get Involved! Work with local teens, schools, or community groups to organize an event or activity to raise awareness and offer teens real, factual information about drugs and drug abuse. Events can vary in size and length. To help, NIDA provides a step-by-step event toolkit , at http://drugfactsweek.drugabuse.gov/resources.php including a list of suggested activities, and the popular Drug Facts: Shatter the Myths booklet to distribute at your NDFW events. All of these materials are provided free of charge. Register your event TODAY—It’s easy! http://drugfactsweek.drugabuse.gov/register.php Connect with us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/NIDA.Drug.Facts.Week Order FREE booklets: Drug Facts: Shatter the Myths http://drugfactsweek.drugabuse.gov/booklet.php

Web Site Supports Pediatricians’ Efforts to Assist Children Exposed to Violence The American Academy of Pediatrics, supported by a grant from the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) at the U.S. Department of Justice, has launched a new web site which can be viewed at http://tinyurl.com/b4r4nnh. This site provides pediatricians the resources they need to modify the operations of their practice to identify, treat, and refer children who have been victims of or witnesses to violence. Learn more about the Defending Childhood Initiative at http://www.justice.gov/defendingchildhood/about-initiative.html

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Rite Aid Foundation Health & Wellness Grants Rite Aid supports programs of 501©3 non-profits that focus on health and wellness in the communities in which Rite Aid operates. Foundation accepts applications year round and reviews eligible proposals each year after July 1, October 1, January 1 and April 1. Details/application at http://www.riteaid.com/company/community/foundation.js f.

Youth Leadership Grants Sponsor: The Starbucks Foundation Deadline: December 15, 2012 The Starbucks Foundation is interested in supporting organizations that equip young people ages 15-24 years in the following areas: • Business Savvy: Having the ability to leverage opportunities with integrity and innovation; to make good decisions and achieve results. • Social Conscience: Valuing the impact an individual and enterprise can have on the community. • Collaborative Communication: Engaging others in an inclusive manner across teams, functions and cultures; ability to leverage new and creative ways of communication. Multiple grants ranging from $10,000-30,000 will be available to select applicants. Nonprofit organizations are eligible to apply.

Please contact The Starbucks Foundation for more information and to apply for this funding: http://www.starbucks.com/responsibility/community/youth-action/grant.

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Youth Mental Health Grants Viola W. Bernard Foundation Deadline: January 31, 2013

The Viola W. Bernard Foundation was established to provide seed money for innovative mental health programs with an emphasis on families and children. The purpose of this program is to support innovative programs that address the interplay between social conditions and the psychological health of children and families.

Award amounts vary. Eligible applicants include projects or programs for youth that involve a mental health component and preference is given to programs in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Vermont, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania.

Please contact the Viola W. Bernard Foundation for more information and to apply for this funding: http://www.violawbernardfoundation.org/application.html Source: The Center for Health and Health Care in Schools

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

The Children's Safety Network presents Bullying Prevention Legislation: Focus on LGBT Youth Webinar The Children's Safety Network (CSN) and the Network for Public Health Law (NPHL) jointly announce the launch of a new webinar series titled "Advancing Injury Prevention through Policy." A total of four webinars will be held from November 2012 through May 2013. Each session will feature one injury topic and when appropriate, will include an update on which states currently have laws or policies related to that topic, state experience in gaining passage and implementing the law, and the experience of evaluating the effectiveness of the law. Presenters will also discuss the challenges faced by state health department injury prevention staff including prohibitions on involvement in promoting enactment of policies, lack of research on effectiveness of injury prevention laws, lack of funds for implementation of legislation; and, how to work with the opposition.

The first session was held on Thursday, November 15,. "Bullying Prevention Legislation: Focus on LGBT Youth" was presented by Cristina Meneses, JD, MS, Senior Staff Attorney, The Network, Eastern Region, The University of Maryland Francis Carey School of Law and Ellen Schmidt, Assistant Director, Children's Safety Network, Education Development Center. To access the audio files and related materials from the first webinar go to http://www.childrenssafetynetwork.org/webinar/bullying-prevention-legislation-focus-lgbt-youth.

PASAP Annual Conference Online registration will be available soon for the Pennsylvania Association of Student Assistance Professionals’ (PASAP) Annual Conference at the Penn Stater Conference Center in State College from February 24 – 26, 2013. PASAP (Pennsylvania Association of Student Assistance Professionals), PAMLE (Pennsylvania Association of Middle Level Educators) and AEDY (Alternative Education for Disruptive Youth) Professionals are partnering to host this event to offer our members broader professional development experiences and many more resources. For conference information, visit www.pasap.org.

NEWS

Family and Peer Connectedness Can Help Youths in Suicidal Crisis According to a new study from the University of Michigan, increases in family and peer connectedness can help protect youths who were hospitalized for a suicidal crisis from future attempts, ideation, and depression. The study results showed that “adolescents who reported greater improvements in peer connectedness [after

5 being hospitalized] were half as likely to attempt suicide” during the 12 months following their hospitalization. Improvement in family connectedness did not provide the same protection against suicide attempts, but did help protect young people from suicidal ideation and depressive symptoms. The authors suggest that families and friends of a youth undergoing a suicidal crisis will respond to the crisis by offering more explicit support to that young person. The young person in crisis will then feel more “connected” – that is, closer to, supported by, and able to confide in –his or her family or friends. The feeling of improved connectedness helps protect that young person against future suicide attempts, depression, and suicidal ideation. It is important to note that (1) the reductions in risk were associated with the relative improvement in connectedness that occurred in response to a crisis (rather than any absolute level of connectedness) and (2) the associations between the two types of connectedness (peer and family) and the three outcome measures (attempts, ideation, and depression) are complex. Neither peer nor family connectedness was shown to offer universal and long-lasting protection against all of the outcomes under all circumstances. Czyz, E. K., Liu, Z., & King, C. A. (2012). Social connectedness and one-year trajectories among suicidal adolescents following psychiatric hospitalization. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 41(2):214- 26.

Emergency Department Visits for Drug-Related Suicide Attempts Involving Antidepressants More Likely to Result in Follow-up Care among Adolescents Emergency departments (EDs) are a key access point to the health care system for youths who attempt suicide where timely intervention and follow-up care can help address associated mental health and substance abuse problems. Data from the 2008 to 2010 Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) showed that an annual average of 22,434 drug-related ED visits involving suicide attempts were made by adolescents aged 12 to 17. Most of these visits (72 percent) had evidence of referral for follow-up care, and visits involving antidepressants were more likely to result in referral for follow-up care than visits not involving antidepressants (82 vs. 70 percent). The difference in follow-up between ED visits involving antidepressants and those not involving antidepressants is significant at the .05 level.

Although DAWN data does not provide information on patient medical history, antidepressant involvement in a drug-related suicide attempt may indicate that the patient has been treated for depression. Although it is important to maintain the high follow-up rates for ED visits involving drug-related suicide attempts, all adolescent suicide attempts should receive the attention needed to identify and adequately treat existing mental health problems. If an adolescent patient is released to return home from the ED, personnel can provide information to the family on outpatient services, crisis lines, and instructions on when a return visit to the ED may be warranted. Suicide prevention resources for health care providers are available at http://www.samhsa.gov/prevention/suicide.aspx.

Moms Influence Teens' Friends We all know that teens’ parents and friends can have a big influence on their decisions about drinking, but did you know that their friends’ parents can also have a big impact?

A report recently published in the online edition of the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine suggests that mothers who are authoritative (that is, they balance nurturing and responsiveness with setting and holding their kids accountable for high expectations) with their teen children also influence the behavior of their teens' friends.

The study found that if an adolescent had a friend with an authoritative mother, that adolescent was 40% less likely to drink to the point of drunkenness and 38% less likely to binge drink than an adolescent who had a friend with a neglectful mother.

The indirect positive effects of authoritative parenting in reducing behaviors associated with underage drinking emphasizes our need to provide the Power of Parents® handbook and workshops to as many parents

6 as possible. The Power of Parents program provides important tools for parents to help prevent underage drinking in not only their own teens, but also their teens’ friends through authoritative (also known as positive) style parenting. To read more about this study go to http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp? AID=669431#.UHQIVOIsuUg.email To sign up to receive the parent handbook go to http://support.madd.org/site/PageServer?pagename=pop_reg .

More Than Two-Thirds of U.S. Residents Who First Started Using Drugs in the Past Year Began with Marijuana An estimated 3.1 million persons ages 12 or older—an average of approximately 8,4000 per day—used a drug other than alcohol for the first time in the past year, according to data from the 2011 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. More than two-thirds (68%) of these new users reported that marijuana was the first drug they tried. Slightly more than one-fifth (22%) reported that prescription drugs used nonmedically were the first drug they tried, including 14% with pain relievers, 4% with tranquilizers, 3% with stimulants, and 1% with sedatives. Less than 10% reported that their first use of drugs involved inhalants and hallucinogens, and very few initiates started using with cocaine or heroin. These findings suggest that drug use prevention efforts might focus on marijuana and the nonmedical use of prescription drugs, as these are the drugs that are most often used first. More information is available online at http://www.samhsa.gov/data/NSDUH/2011SummNatFindDetTables/Index.aspx.

Boys More Prone to OTC Drug Abuse Than Girls, Study Suggests A new University of Cincinnati study found that boys are more likely than girls to abuse over-the-counter (OTC) drugs. The study examined OTC drug use among 7th-12th grade students in 133 schools across Greater Cincinnati. Early analysis found that 10 percent of the students reported abusing OTC drugs. The study further supports the trend among youth turning to their parents’ medicine cabinet to get high.

One of the researchers notes that commonly abused OTC medications include OTC cough medicine containing dextromethorphan (DXM). The data was collected through the efforts of the Coalition for a Drug Free Greater Cincinnati, a CADCA member.

"Findings from this study highlight and underscore OTC drugs as an increasing and significant health issue affecting young people," Rebecca Vidourek, an assistant professor of health promotion. The early results were recently presented at the annual meeting of the American Public Health Association in San Francisco.

Read more about the study findings at http://www.uc.edu/news/NR.aspx?id=16780

New State-by-State Report Shows a Significant Decrease in Adolescent Smoking During Past Decade Current cigarette smoking among 12- to 17-year-olds fell significantly from 2002 to 2010 in 41 states, according to a report by SAMHSA. The report also showed that during the same period, adolescent perception of risk from cigarette smoking has remained unchanged in most states. Adolescent cigarette use nationwide declined from 12.6 percent to 8.7 percent, but significant differences remained among states. For example, Wyoming had the Nation's highest rate of 13.5 percent—more than double the rate of 5.9 percent for Utah, the state with the Nation's lowest rate. The study defined current use as smoking in the past month. The report, State Estimates of Adolescent Cigarette Use and Perceptions of Risk of Smoking: 2009 and 2010 [PDF - 397 KB], is based on findings from SAMHSA's National Survey on Drug Use and Health reports for the years 2002– 2003 and 2009–2010. "The Surgeon General's Report on Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults notes that smoking is the Nation's leading cause of preventable death," said SAMHSA Administrator Pamela S. Hyde. "Although this report shows that considerable progress has been made in lowering adolescent cigarette smoking, the sad, unacceptable fact remains that in many states about 1 in 10 adolescents smoked cigarettes in the past month. The report also shows that we must collectively redouble our efforts to better educate adolescents about the risks of tobacco and continue to work with every state and community to promote effective tobacco use prevention and recovery programs."

7 Read the Full Press Release | View Full Report [PDF - 397 KB]

Study Indicates 60% of High School Students Report Drugs Are Used, Kept, or Sold in Their Schools For the sixth year in a row, 60% or more of high school students report that drugs are used, kept, or sold on their school grounds, according to a telephone survey of U.S. youth ages 12 to 17 reports the Center for Substance Abuse Research at the University of Maryland. While the percentage of students reporting that there are drugs in their school has decreased from the high of 66% in 2010 to 60% in 2012, the current percentage remains higher than a decade ago (44%; see figure below). The survey also found that 36% of high school students believe that it is fairly or very easy for students to smoke, drink or use drugs during the day at their school without getting caught and more than half (52%) say that there is a place on school grounds or near their school where students go to smoke, drink, or use drugs during the school day. The data for the study was taken from National Survey of American Attitudes on Substance Abuse XVII: Teen, 2012. The complete study can be found online at: http://www.casacolumbia.org/upload/2012/20120822teensurvey.pdf .

Study Suggests Heavy Prenatal Alcohol Linked to Childhood Brain Development Problems Heavy drinking during pregnancy disrupts proper brain development in children and adolescents years after they were exposed to alcohol in the womb, according to a study supported by the National Institutes of Health. The study is the first to track children over several years to examine how heavy exposure to alcohol in utero affects brain growth over time.

Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, researchers found that brain growth patterns in children whose mothers drank heavily while pregnant differed from normal patterns of development seen in children who were not exposed to alcohol before birth.

The findings suggest that children with heavy alcohol exposure have decreased brain plasticity -- the brain's ability to grow and remodel itself based on experience with the outside world. Such adaptation continues throughout one's life and is crucial to learning new skills and adapting to the environment.

"This study documents the long-term impact of heavy prenatal alcohol exposure on brain development," said Ken R. Warren, Ph.D., acting director of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), which provided most of the funding for the study. "It underscores that heavy drinking during pregnancy often has lasting consequences for the child's growth and development, and reminds us that women who are, who may be, or who are trying to become pregnant, should not drink alcohol."

The study currently appears online in the Oct. 31, 2012 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience. These findings may have implications for developing early treatments that could correct or improve these patterns of abnormal brain development.

This study was performed in conjunction with the Collaborative Initiative on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, a consortium of FASD researchers supported by NIAAA. (More information at: http://www.cifasd.org/ ) The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) also provided funding for this study. This NIH News Release is available online at: http://www.nih.gov/news/health/oct2012/niaaa-31.htm.

Report on Well Being of Nation’s Children Released The Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics has released its annual report, “America’s Children in Brief: Key National Indicators of Well-Being.” Among the findings from this year’s assessment, both adolescent births and violent crime victimization declined. The report also reveals that the number of children living in poverty increased. The U.S. Department of Education is one of 22 federal agencies that constitute the forum. To read the full report, visit www.childstats.gov/pdf/ac2012/ac_12.pdf.

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