Social workers play a vital role in supporting the health and well-being of our young people. But rural schools often struggle to access critical mental health services and support because of workforce challenges and how distant they are from community resources. In this month’s Story From the Field, you’ll learn how Kern County school districts joined together to help overcome these barriers and meet their students’ mental health needs. By building the West Kern Consortium, a dedicated cohort of school social workers, they are meeting their students where they are with much-needed supports and community-informed care. 

Many of the themes in this story of collaboration, integration, capacity building and intentionality in meeting students where they are, align with the CYBHI’s Working Paper: California’s Children & Youth Behavioral Health Ecosystem. The paper offers a blueprint of what a more integrated and equitable mental and behavioral health system would look like and outlines the components necessary to get there. These include: 

• Building a larger behavioral health workforce that enables child-serving organizations to deliver on culturally responsive, community-informed and – designed supports and services.
• Coordinated care navigation where children, youth and families can get the support they need, when they need it, and there is no wrong door for help.

Listen West Kern Consortium audiocast, view the transcript for this audiocast, and download the companion brief.