Initiatives

Schools for Suicide Prevention (S4SP) Partnership

State policies AB2246 and AB1767 mandate that public schools serving grades K-12 adopt policies addressing suicide prevention, crisis response, and student mental health. The SP Program launched the S4SP Partnership in 2018 as a response to a needs assessment conducted with districts on their progress with implementing these policies.

Through a county-wide partnership, the BHSD, the HEARD Alliance, and the County Office of Education provide training access and technical assistance to support districts’ suicide prevention and upstream prevention goals. This partnership is informed by a multi-tiered approach to mental health and well-being in an effort to prevent youth suicides. This approach outlines steps to ensure school personnel (teachers, staff, administration) and mental health professionals are trained to respond to school crises by strengthening crisis response protocols and implementing best-practice prevention efforts, including social-emotional learning.

Suicide Prevention Training Opportunities:

Kognito Mental Health & Wellness Professional Development Courses

The Santa Clara County Office of Education and Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Services Department are pleased to provide all educators and school staff across the county with free access to the following simulations from Kognito’s social emotional learning curriculum for the 2022-2023 academic year.

Santa Clara County 2022-2023 Kognito flyer

Portfolio of available Kognito trainings

LivingWorks Start

This training is sponsored by AB-1808 and offered through the CA Dept of Education for a limited time. If you are an employee or student in any public middle or high school in California, you are eligible to complete this training at no-cost. Students and staff should choose two of the three youth-specific practice scenarios at the end of the training titled "Eric", "Ali", or "Mikayla and Hailey." Students who complete LivingWorks Start are eligible to earn 90 minutes of community service hours.

Access link for students and staff: https://www.lwyouthsummit.com/access-training

Staff Technical Assistance and Training Series:

K-12 Suicide Prevention, Early Intervention & Crisis Response Team Training Series

The Santa Clara County Office of Education, Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Services Department, and the HEARD Alliance are partnering to offer a training series for schools who are seeking to establish a site-based crisis response team (CRT) and/or who would like support with building a more robust CRT. The virtual five-part series will outline steps to ensure school personnel (teachers, staff, administration) and mental health professionals are trained to respond to student concerns and crises by strengthening their crisis response protocols and implementing best practice prevention efforts.

Audience: All staff, including Mental Health Providers, School Leaders & District Leaders, CRT members

Registration info: K-12 Suicide Prevention, Early Intervention & Crisis Response Team Training Series

More information: Training flyer

Adult Social Emotional Learning

In partnership, the Santa Clara County Office of Education and the HEARD Alliance are leading this Professional Learning Network to support educational leaders as they strengthen their structures, knowledge, and skill set implementing Social Emotional Learning. Participants will learn how to strengthen adult social emotional leaning competencies and capacities using research based practices from Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) and resources from the Berkeley Greater Good Science Center.

Audience: School Site Administrators, Directors of Student Services, District SEL Team Members, School Site SEL Leadership Team Members

Registration info: Adult Social Emotional Learning

More information: Training Flyer

More Information about Our Partners

Additional Resources

School Linked Services
allcove (Ages 12-25)
Bill Wilson Center: All services | Grief support services
LGBTQ Youth Space Santa Clara County (Ages 13-25)
Headspace for Teens
California Department of Education Youth Suicide Prevention
TeenzTalk
Didi Hirsch Teen Line
Youth Connect

Contact Information

For more information, please contact Jasmine Lopez, Coordinator, Suicide Prevention Program by email at [email protected].