(Photo credit: Pexels – Elizabeth Lizzie)
LANSING — Children in a mental health crisis need treatment.
But they are often turned away due to inadequate resources and a lack of professionals, said Angela Gardner, president of the Michigan Association of School Social Workers and social worker for the Detroit Public Schools Community District. explained.
Lack of help for mental health issues creates barriers to children's academic success and well-being, she says.
Gardner said the situation is critical, with shortages of mental health professionals occurring at local, state and national levels, and rural districts being the most affected by these shortages.
The primary factor contributing to these shortages in rural areas is funding.
“Small districts still have to pay overhead costs.” said Alexandra Stam, education policy analyst at the Michigan Public Policy Federation. “We still have to pay for principals and superintendents, but we can't make up for that by increasing the amount per student because we're not growing in student numbers.” to spend time.
School districts allocate funding based on the number of students enrolled. Rural schools have lower enrollments and therefore are allocated less money.
Smaller districts have overhead costs that can leave less money available for other areas of the budget, Stamm said.
To support this, the Department of Education created a grant program in 2019.
The program funds intermediate school district mental health support services, such as school social workers.
The 2022-23 legislative report by the Department of Education states that $62.8 million has been allocated to secondary school districts for these services, with an allocation of $955,300 per secondary school district.
Stam said funding alone won't solve the problem. Rural areas also face a shortage of psychologists and social workers to serve children.
“We have money and we are grateful to have money, but we are having trouble finding people to hire.” Stam said. “The Department of Education is working with other partners to address the workforce shortage.”
“The number of behavioral health professionals is very small.” Stam said. “Hospitals, community mental health, and schools are all looking to recruit from this small pool of candidates.”
Another hurdle is that rural areas struggle to attract interest from young professionals who find urban areas and flashy cities more attractive.
Transportation can also be a barrier, Gardner said.
“Individuals are geographically isolated in this region.” Gardner said. “That means access to resources, such as community health services, may be 40 to 30 miles away.”
Scott Hutchins, superintendent of the Department of Education's Division of School Behavioral Health, said rural areas are also less likely to have a university nearby to educate future social workers.
Once these students earn their degrees, they are more likely to pursue more lucrative urban careers.
Don Wotruba, executive director of the Michigan School Boards Association, said staffing shortages have left social workers thin across school districts, especially in rural areas.
“If you're in a rural area, you have two or three social workers serving eight districts, or 30 buildings.” Wotruba said.
School social worker turnover is also very high, Gardner said.
“They cannot meet the demands of the workload required of them as school social workers.” Gardner said.
In addition to sales, Gardner said he believes the COVID-19 pandemic is also contributing to the shortage.
“I think a lot of people in the workforce couldn't go back to a brick-and-mortar environment.” she said.
Dorothy Pinter, director of school success and community programs for the Northeast Michigan Department of Social Services in Alpena, said her program has been negatively impacted by the shortage.
“There is a shortage of people with social work degrees.” Pintar said. “Currently, we are having difficulty securing school social workers.”
The agency serves Cheboygan, Alcona, Alpena, Midland, Crawford, and Clare. Montmorency, Mecosta, and Gladwin counties.
The agency's School Success Program removes barriers to student academic success. One way to do this is to provide counseling services.
Pinter's program partners with school social workers in Northeast Michigan.
“When you go to places that partner with social workers, you find that there is a shortage of school social workers in the Northeast Michigan service area.” Pintar said.
Stamm said the Department of Education has an advisory committee that works with secondary school districts to assess funding effectiveness and solutions to other barriers.
The company is working with partners to address the labor shortage through other means.
For example, Wotruba said one conversation about addressing shortages revolves around certifications and requirements to become a mental health provider in a school district.
Gardner said the Michigan Association of School Social Workers is also working with the National Association of Social Workers to modify the licensure exam to make it easier to obtain certification while maintaining standards and best practices.
Hutchins said the Department of Education grant has increased the number of social workers across the state.
Hutchins said that while some rural areas have seen an increase in the number of specialists, the additional funding is more effective in urban areas.
Gardner emphasized the importance of having social workers available at a moment's notice.
“The psychosocial stressors that impede learning before children even hit the school gates are simply staggering.” Gardner said.
“Having readily available resources to help address and break down these barriers is critical to academic success.” she said.
