Project Cal-Well

Project Cal-Well is sponsored by California Department of Education. Supports local education agencies in developing sustainable infrastructure for school-based mental health services.

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The California Department of Education (CDE) has been implementing Project Cal-Well in partnership with LEAs throughout California with funding support from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) under the Project AWARE grant since 2014.

Project Cal-Well is designed to raise awareness of mental health; expand access to school and community-based mental health services for youth and families; and create sustainable student mental health infrastructure through leveraged resources. The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School Health Services Research and Evaluation Team is evaluating the initiative.

WestEd provides technical assistance to the project from 2019.

The California Department of Education (CDE) received three cohorts of five –year grants from SAMHSA to launch Project Cal-Well in 2014-19 (Cohort 1), 2019-24 (Cohort 2), and 2023-28 (Cohort 3) to address the mental health needs of students: Using a three-component intervention model, Project Cal-Well strives to achieve the following goals: Goal 1: Provide universal supports to create positive school climates that help school-aged youth develop skills to promote resilience and pro-social behaviors; avert development of mental and behavioral health disorders; and prevent youth violence.

Goal 2: Increase access to and availability of sustainable culturally competent and developmentally appropriate school-based mental health (SBMH) programs staffed by mental health staff to screen for, provide early intervention for, and to address any ongoing mental health needs of children with symptoms consistent with a mental disorder(s).

Goal 3: Build partnerships and cross-system collaborations to promote youth well-being and increase and improve access to sustainable culturally competent and developmentally appropriate community-based mental health services.

In Cohort 3, the CDE partners with Santa Cruz County Office of Education and Stanislaus County Office of Education to support seven mid-size school districts: all schools from three LEAs in Stanislaus County, and all secondary schools from four LEAs in Santa Cruz County.

Project Cal-Well Funding Results (2025-26) Project Cal-Well Funding Results (2024-25) Project Cal-Well Funding Results (2023-24) In Cohort 2, the CDE partnered with Humboldt County Office of Education, Sacramento County Office of Education, and Stanislaus County Office of Education to serve students and families from eight school districts from five counties in Northern California.

This brief from WestEd describes the success of Project Cal-Well and how LEAs built sustainable student mental health infrastructure under Cohort 2 . In Cohort 1, the CDE served students and families from five school districts in Southern California through a partnership with ABC Unified School Districts, Garden Grove Unified School District, and the San Diego County Office of Education.

This brief from UCSF describes the Project Cal-Well model and provides highlights of successes and lessons learned over five years of implementation National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) on Campus High School Workshops (NCHS) and Club Support The NCHS is a student-led club that focuses on mental health and wellness and provides a critical opportunity that fosters student involvement, promotes youth voice, awareness, and self-advocacy.

The NCHS provides activities for youth that help decrease bullying and the stigma often experienced by those living with mental illness, potentially averting mental health crises, helping reduce youth suicide, and increasing school safety. Students involved in NCHS Clubs and activities are becoming lifelong advocates in the mission to eliminate the stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness and eliminate suicides.

The CDE partners with NAMI California to sponsor year-round trainings, monthly office hours, and an opportunity to apply for $1,500 mini-grants to help high school student teams and their advisors to start and sustain an NCHS Club on their campus. Email nchs@namica. org for additional information.

Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) is a research-based curriculum based on a medical first aid model. It is designed to provide parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, neighbors, and other caring adults with skills to help a school-age child or youth who may be experiencing emotional distress, the onset of a mental illness, addiction challenge or who may be in crisis.

YMHFA participants learn to recognize signs and symptoms of children and youth in emotional distress, initiate and offer help, and connect the youth to professional care through a five-step action plan. Unless it is used as a refresher, YMHFA training is not intended for staff with a mental health background such as school psychologists, social workers, clinicians, etc., due to its basic nature.

This no cost training is currently delivered virtually through two hours of self-paced learning and five and a half hours of instructor-led training. The training can be delivered in evenings, weekends, and is also available in Spanish. The California Department of Education (CDE) offers this free training to public, charter, and private schools, districts, and community organizations.

Email OSBHP@cde. ca. gov for additional questions.

The California Department of Education (CDE) contracts with the University of California, San Francisco’s Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies to conduct an independent evaluation of Project Cal-Well program activities.

The following data collection instruments were created to assess the social emotional wellness and mental health needs and perceptions among students, school staff, and principals: Project Cal-Well California Healthy Kids Survey - Elementary (PDF; Revised 26-Nov-2019) Project Cal-Well California Healthy Kids Survey - Secondary (PDF; Revised 26-Nov-2019) For student surveys since the beginning of the 2020-21 school year, see the Mental Health Supports Module of the California Healthy Kids Survey Beginning 2023-24, the Project Cal-Well student survey became part of California Healthy Kids Survey (CHKS) Behavioral Health Module Part B (PDF) .

This has streamlined data collection and significantly expanded mental health measures in the biennial representative statewide CHKS report. Project Cal-Well School Staff Survey (DOCX) Beginning 2022-23, the Project Cal-Well School Staff Survey became the Student Wellness Module (PDF) of the California School Staff Survey.

UCSF Project Cal-Well Web page Project Cal-Well resources including legacy briefs, infographics, and resource and evaluation briefs. Resources below are organized based on Project Cal-Well Three-Component Model Component 1: Creating a Positive School Climate Student mental health starts with prevention.

It is critical that schools work on creating a safe, respectful, and supportive school climate so all students have the opportunity to learn and thrive in a positive learning environment. California Safe and Supportive Schools is a one-stop hub where you will find resources to improve school climate, build connections, and address well-being.

Check out the Resource library on a wide variety of school climate topics, Project Cal-Well Stronger Connections California School Climate, Health, and Learning Survey The CDE school climate survey that supports local data-informed school climate improvements, including survey modules for mental health supports and social and emotional health. Check out the new Behavioral Health Module to assess and support student mental health.

Family Guide To Supporting Young People's Mental Health and Well-Being This family-friendly guide, available in English, Chinese, and Spanish , helps parents and other adult family members navigate supports to address the overall well-being and mental health of school-aged children, including tips for what can be difficult conversations. Districts are encouraged to share the guide with local mental health resources.

A one-page handout with QR code for this guide is also available in both English (PDF) , Chinese (Traditional and Simplified) offers free resources to educators to create safe learning environments, including Start with Hello to break social isolation and promote a positive school climate; Say Something to empower students to be leaders in promoting a safe, respectful, inclusive climate.

Free virtual space with research-based strategies and supports to calm, activate, or support mental wellbeing. Free online mental health literacy training for students 13+, staff, and families. Two training modules which takes approximately 45 -60 minute per module.

Resources for School Staff Singe access multiple free mental health resources for educators: A Trusted Space, Stories of Hope, Directing Change, and animated shorts. Resources include film-based curriculum, mini professional development, and weekly office hours. is a free three-part training package that assists K-12 educators in supporting the mental health of students in the classroom.

(PDF) is an easy-to-read toolkit that includes practical strategies and resources for teachers to promote self-care and help students in class and in crisis. Safe Spaces: Foundation of Trauma-Informed Practice for Educational and Care Settings is a free, online training for early care provides and TK-12 educators to recognize and respond to trauma and stress.

Free app for families and children ages 0 to 12 for expert coaching on a variety of issues Free online mental health course for teens developed by researchers at Boston University: Stress: A Course for Teens Mental Health: A Course for Teens A new, no-cost, mental health curriculum developed by the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

The FLARE (Flexible Learning for Adolescent Resiliency Education) curriculum consists of 23 lessons that educators can mix-and-match to best suit the needs of their middle school students. Free app to support the mental health of young people ages 13-25. Take a short quiz and receive a custom plan to take charge of your emotions.

School Climate Improvement Resource Package A variety of resource guides developed by the National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments. Two briefs developed by WestEd, Project Cal-Well technical assistance provider, to support districts in implementing universal social-emotional screening among students.

A brief to guide schools and districts to implement universal screening for monitoring and early intervention A brief on universal screening during distance learning with examples from Cal-Well districts Implementing Universal Social, Emotional and Behavioral (SEB) Screening: Challenges and Opportunities This brief summarizes results of a study led by a team at the University of California, Riverside, in collaboration with Project Cal-Well and the California PBIS Coalition, to examine implementation of universal SEB screening practices in California.

CDE resources to guide suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention. Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS) PBIS provides a tiered intervention framework to deliver evidence-based strategies to promote a positive school climate and address student disciplinary issues.

PBIS Technical Assistance Center California PBIS Coalition Strategies on relationship and community building to prevent and address conflicts, and repair harm as a result of student behaviors or wrongdoings.

International Institute for Restorative Practices Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Cultivating social and emotional competencies among students have shown to improve student motivation, reduce problematic behavior, and improve school climate.

Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning CalHOPE SEL Learning Modules Trauma Informed Practices Resources to help educators create trauma-informed schools and compassionate classrooms. Center for Resiliency, Hope, and Wellness in Schools provides resources on evidence-based trauma-informed interventions in schools.

Resilience in School Environments (RISE) , a Kaiser Permanente’s initiative to promote social and emotional resiliency in schools. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network—Child Trauma Toolkit for Educators The Trauma-Informed, Resilience-Oriented (TR) Schools Toolkit outlines a framework for implementing trauma-informed, resilience-oriented approaches in any school or school district.

Component 2: Increase Access to School-Based Mental Health Services A Guide to Increase Mental Health Services for Students (PDF) This guide is created by Project Cal-Well, with input from the Student Mental Health Policy Workgroup, to assist schools and districts to build capacity to better address mental health challenges among students.

Component 3: Build Community Partnerships and Collaborations A California Guide for Sharing Student Health and Education Information Best practices for schools on information sharing between schools and community agencies.

School Mental Health Referral Pathway Toolkit Provides best practice guidance and strategies to support schools in referring and coordinating mental health services for students under a multi-tiered system of supports. California Safe and Supportive Schools Newsletter A monthly newsletter on school climate and mental health resources, trainings, and information.

K-12 Mental Health Listserv To receive information about the K-12 Mental Health Services Act Prevention and Early Intervention planning and implementation process, send a blank message to join-k12mh@mlist. cde. ca.

gov . Questions: Hilva Chan | hchan@cde. ca.

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