Page 34 - MMP-N-NJ CCN 21st Century School Nurse Leadership Book

6. Plan for and create short-term wins.

Define and set a visible performance improvement
• Report on changes in suspensions, classroom disruptions, attendance.
• Set a date early in the initiative that creates excitement. Examples: grand opening of the
space. Send out a notice that the school/district has implemented a “Mental/Behavioral
Health Task Force” and the guiding mission and potential initiatives.

7. Consolidate improvements and produce more change.

Use your success and improvements (yes! this project is going to work and the guiding coalition
is behind the initiative) to further change systems, structures, etc.
• Did you obtain information that may indicate other interventions or community needs that
need to be communicated?
• Address policy changes as needed to guide use of the space.
• Evaluate funding sources and budget limits. May involve checking with district budgets,
applying for grant monies, asking local businesses or organizations to help.

8. Institutionalize new approaches.

Articulate connections between new behaviors and success of the program. Share the
successes and your results. Create sustainability plans based upon your evaluation of the
program metrics.
• For example, two months after implementing the safe space/room, on average 10 students
use the room/day. One student shared they were newly homeless and resources were
arranged to support the family. Teachers are reporting they like having the space as it
helps them feel that when the student returns to the classroom after visiting the room, the
student is less likely to return to the disruptive behaviors.

What are my resources?

National:

National Alliance on Mental Illness. (2017). Home page. Retrieved from https://www.nami.org/#

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2017). Home page. Retrieved from
https://www.samhsa.gov/

National Association of School Nurses. (n.d.). See something, say something: The school nurse
role in bullying prevention. Retrieved from https://higherlogicdownload.s3.amazonaws.com/
NASN/3870c72d-fff9-4ed7-833f-215de278d256/UploadedImages/PDFs/Practice%20Topic%20
Resources/Mental_Health_bullyingflyerpledge.pdf

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Mental Health.gov. (n.d.). Let’s talk about it.
Retrieved from https://www.mentalhealth.gov/

New Jersey:

State of New Jersey, Department of Children and Families. (n.d.). Children’s system of care.
Retrieved from http://www.state.nj.us/dcf/families/csc/

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