Increasing student access to mental health services

In the wake of the tragedy in Newtown, Conn., President  Barack Obama outlined his recommendations to reduce and prevent gun violence. He highlighted the need to provide students with greater access to mental health services.  According to the National Alliance for Mental Illness, one in 10 children and adolescents suffer from mental illness severe enough to cause some level of impairment, while only about one in three students who need treatment actually receive it.  

Each year, thousands of social workers serve students in schools across the country, yet the distribution of social workers is uneven and inadequate. Some districts have a social worker to student ratio of as much as 1 to 400 which is nearly two times greater than the recommended maximum level of 1 to 250, per the NASW Standards for School Social Work Services.  Similar professions, such as school counselors or school psychologists, experience the same issue. Due to these huge ratios, students often do not get the services they need.

On Jan. 18, 2013 Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Chair of the Congressional Social Work Caucus, introduced H.R. 320, the Student Support Act, as she has done since the 110th Congress.  This bill aims to increase student access to mental health services by providing grants to states to hire additional school social workers, psychologists and counselors in order to reduce the student-to-provider ratio in elementary and secondary schools. This bill effectively addresses the shortage of mental health providers in schools and provides schools with flexibility to meet the mental health needs of their students.

Passage of H.R. 320 will make it possible for agencies like Jewish Family & Children’s Service to ensure that no child with emotional or behavioral problems is cut off from receiving needed help.  

I urge you to contact your U.S. Congressional members signifying your backing of the Student Support Act. When at-risk children have access to the mental health services they need, our entire community benefits.

L. Louis Albert, Executive Director

Jewish Family & Children’s Service