Building on Strengths: A School-Based Mental Health Program
Policy development is the process of making decisions as to how to address societal problems. Assessment and research provide the evidence base for the development of policies that determine which practices to support, how resources should be allocated, and how efforts should be mobilized to achieve the defined policy goals.
In addition to research, which underlies all other essential services, 3 of the 10 essential public health services fall into the category of policy development. They include:
• Informing, educating, and empowering people about health issues.
• Mobilizing community partnerships to identify and solve health problems.
• Developing policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts.
This case addresses the function of informing, educating, and empowering people about health issues, which is an essential precursor to informed policy development and implementation.
In 3-5 pages, please explore the following topic, and answer the question prompts provided below. Don’t forget to consider the above-mentioned points regarding reflecting on case methods.
Question 1: What aspects of the Building on Strengths program are most important to preserve in light of impending funding cuts (i.e., training parents, cultural competence training for teachers, providing direct services, improving data collection and evaluation, focusing on partnership development, engaging in anti-stigma campaigns, etc.?). What is the rationale for this choice? What critical stakeholders should be involved in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of these program components? What additional information does the project director need in order to make this decision?
Question 2: What other sources of funding or strategic actions could the project director engage in to help sustain this school-based mental health project beyond the grant? What program elements are most important to continue, especially given the absence of a strong organizational infrastructure? What cultural and political challenges influence the existence and expansion of such a program?
Question 3: What other partners or advocates should the project director enlist for help? How could Building on Strengths utilize parents and community members more in the development and sustainability of its program? What barriers to engaging immigrant parents (both documented and undocumented) might they encounter, and how can they address these challenges?
