KSBA and the Kentucky Department for Community-Based Services (DCBS) are partnering to provide a forum where DCBS and state behavioral health providers can interact with public school professionals.
On March 14 at the Embassy Suites in Lexington, KSBA is hosting a conference with DCBS to unveil a new DCBS initiative on child abuse and neglect investigations with public schools. DCBS and state behavioral health professionals will also share information about new Medicaid money for community-based behavioral health services. Other topics include indicators for reporting child abuse, neglect and dependency, and recognizing childhood trauma.
DCBS Commissioner Teresa James and her staff will talk with educators about how to recognize signs of child abuse and neglect and how school districts can access new behavioral health money and other community resources. Addressing the behavioral health of our students is crucial to helping them be successful learners.
This conference is an outgrowth of ongoing regular meetings among the commissioner and her staff and KSBA’s Governmental Relations Director Shannon Stiglitz and Legal and Administrative Training Services Director Teresa T. Combs.
“KSBA and DCBS have developed a great working relationship,” Combs said. “Our regular meetings to discuss issues of joint interest have resulted in collaboration on school district policies and DCBS staff guidelines concerning information sharing between schools and DCBS. There are laws about child confidentiality that must be followed by DCBS and by public schools. During our regular meetings, we work to reach agreement on guidelines for school staff and DCBS staff that will allow as much information to flow between the agencies as can be accomplished within each agency’s legal parameters.
“I am proud to host this conference, which will further school staff understanding of the commissioner’s commitment to working closely with schools in the best interest of children. I have found Commissioner James and her staff to be dedicated to creating closer working relationships with schools, and applaud the her leadership in that regard,” she said. “We hope school districts will take advantage of this opportunity to further that relationship and to learn of new resources to benefit our students.”
Conference attendees will receive a flash drive containing a newly revised DCBS booklet on these issues, as well as written resource material.
Presenters for the training include Combs, James and behavioral health specialists. Four hours of EILA and board member training credit are available.
Registration is now available online at www.ksba.org. Click on either the rotating flash tabs at the top or on the event calendar on the right side of the home page.