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Philadelphia Sharing
September 2000 Vol. 1 No. 1
Welcome to Philadelphia Sharing. This is a new publication for and about Philadelphia mental health issues concerning children, adolescents and their families. We will publish Philadelphia Sharing quarterly.
A Welcome from the Philadelphia PIN Staff
We at Philadelphia PIN are ready to assist you in any way we possibly can. Although each of us has a particular area of expertise, we all are ready to assist anyone who calls the office for help.
Dwane Dykes is coordinator of PIN of Philadelphia. She provides outreach, support, advocacy, information, referral and technical assistance to parents of children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders.
Glenda Fine is the founder of Parents Involved Network. Earlier this year Glenda was named division director of Child and Adolescent Services for our parent organization, the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania. She is a tireless advocate for children, adolescents and their families.
Regina Elliott is the children's advocate at the Albert Einstein Medical Center in the Crisis Response Center. (CRC) This is the only CRC designated by the Office of Mental Health in Philadelphia that serves children and adolescents in psychiatric crises. Regina works to ensure that the child receives appropriate behavioral health and related services, including involvement of the child or adolescent and his or her caregivers in the treatment planning process. She provides immediate and ongoing support to the family after the child leaves the crisis center and must access, learn about and negotiate their way through the children's behavioral health and other child-serving systems.
Lourdes Feliciano is a family advocate working with families of children and adolescents who are accessing mental health and related services in Philadelphia.
Janet Lonsdale is the special education projects coordinator. Janet collaborates with the Philadelphia County Office of Mental Health/Consultation and Education Program to ensure that the educational needs of children and adolescents with behavioral health issues are addressed. She serves on the boards of both the Education Law Center and the National Parent Network on Disabilities.
Candi Parente is the coordinator of the Transition Project. Candi is also coordinator for the PIN of Philadelphia Advocacy and Information Conference to be held Saturday, October 7, 2000. Candi is a family advocate and has presented at various conferences related to children's mental health.
LaVan White is facilitating the new Peer Support Project. He will facilitate groups of children and adolescents to address their needs for accessing and receiving essential mental health services. Groups will be scheduled at times that are convenient for the children and adolescents. LaVan will provide outreach among the city's child-serving systems.
Jeanette Cord is publications coordinator. She is responsible for managing all communications projects related to PIN of PA and PIN of Philadelphia, including both the state and local editions of our newsletter, Sharing. Jeanette also prepares material for the PIN Web site and the PIN Resource Room.
Luisa Salapong is the Administrative Assistant. She maintains our this end, the Philadelphia School District and the PA Department of Education have agreed to do several things.
Court Approves Settlement of Kellner Lawsuit
The following is information from the Education Law Center, Philadelphia Office.
On June 19, 2000, a federal court judge approved the settlement agreement in the Kellner lawsuit. In November 1998, the Education law Center brought a class action lawsuit against the School District of Philadelphia, the Pennsylvania Department of Education, and Governor Tom Ridge on behalf of students with emotional disabilities in Philadelphia who need 1:1 behavioral support in school. the named children excluded from school because the District refused to provide this support, instead forcing parents to rely on the mental health system, and, in particular, Therapeutic Staff Support (TSS) workers. This practice violated federal special education law - which required school districts to provide the services that children need to benefit from their special education program.
The settlement agreement makes clear that, when 1:1 support is needed for a student with an emotional disability to be safely maintained in school, or to make progress in the school program, the District must guarantee that the service is provided, without cost to the student or the family. To this end, the Philadelphia School District and the Pennsylvania Department of Education have agreed to do several things.
- The School District of Philadelphia will train its principals, Cluster leaders, Cluster special education supervisors, and school psychologists.
- The District will develop a policy that tells staff how to get from the District 1:1 behavioral aides for students. The policy will be sent to all principals and special education supervisors, and included in the District's Students with Disabilities Procedural Handbook and other relevant materials.
- The District can meet its obligation to provide 1:1 services to these students using resources such as TSS workers from the Mental Health System. However, if a TSS worker is not available, or if there is a delay or gap in the service, the District must promptly assign trained staff.
- A Task Force will be set up to help implement the Agreement. The Task Force includes a representative of the Education Law Center, representatives from the District, someone from Community Behavioral Health, and representatives from Pennsylvania Protection and Advocacy and the Parents Involved Network. The meetings will be held on a regular basis, and the PA Department of Education will participate in the first three meetings.
- The District will recruit and train staff to provide 1:1 behavioral support to students on a long and short-term basis.
- If the IEP or Service Agreement team decides the child needs 1:1 behavioral support to be maintained safely in the school setting or to make meaningful progress in behavioral and academic areas, the service must be listed on the education plan. The IEP should include a statement of the need for 1:1 behavior support under the IEP section labeled "Present Levels of Educational Performance." An annual goal and short-term objectives addressing improved behavior must be included in the IEP. A comprehensive behavior support plan must be developed and attached to the IEP. The behavior plan must list the 1:1 support, and describe what is needed clearly and in detail. The 1:1 behavioral support aide should be listed as a related service, and the frequency, duration, and location of the service should be described.
- The Pennsylvania Department of Education will issue a directive to all school districts and early intervention providers for preschool children. The directive will explain that, whenever a team determines that a child needs 1:1 support for all or part of a school day in order to receive an appropriate educational program, the service must be listed on the child's IEP or service agreement. In addition, the education plan must specify how the district will ensure that the service is provided without gaps or delays; for example, how the district will make sure a substitute is available on days a TSS worker is absent..
- The Pennsylvania Department of Education will monitor Philadelphia's implementation of the agreement for 3 years.
It is now absolutely clear that 1:1 behavioral support is a service that must be listed on a child's IEP/service agreement if the child needs that service to receive a free appropriate public education. Under no circumstances can a child be excluded from school, school transportation, or school activities because a 1:1 behavioral support aide is unavailable. School districts can use TSS workers to provide this service, but if the 1:1 support is listed on the IEP/service agreement, the district remains ultimately responsible for guaranteeing that the child receives the necessary 1:1 behavioral support, even if the TSS worker quits, gets sick, etc.
Please call the Education Law Center at 215-238-6970 if you have any questions or concerns about this settlement, how it is being implemented, or if you would like a copy of the settlement agreement.
Letters to PIN
We always appreciate when people thank us for our help. Sometimes we receive written thanks. The first letter is from a grandparent.
I am writing this letter in appreciation of the service provided by your child advocate for my grandson. The advocate's guidance was a tremendous help for my family. The advocate gave me the support in attending the various IEP meetings at certain schools. She advised me of my rights and certain conditions pertaining to my grandson. For instance there was an incident in the school where my grandson wasn't allowed on a school trip because he did not have a TSS worker and they hadn't made arrangements for my grandson to attend school and he therefore missed a whole day of school. The advocate advised me what to do in this particular situation and in the future.
As a grandmother and caregiver it breaks my heart that my grandson and other children will be treated in such fashion. This is why it is so important for people like your advocate to continue to fight for the rights of children like my grandson. I will continue to struggle through the maze of the public school system with your guidance and support.
The second letter is from a School District of Philadelphia Equity Support Coordinator.
I write to commend your advocate for her knowledge, understanding and persistence with regard to the Special Education process. As an Equity Support Coordinator, I have participated in many conferences with your advocate. She invariably helps all parties focus on major issues even as she effectively advocates for clients. I am always grateful for her presence at meetings with our parents. I look forward to a continued association.
Coping Skills Workshop
PIN is offering The Coping Skills Workshop, a 10-week series beginning September 14, 2000. Presented by a parent/professional team, this workshop will be geared to parents of adolescents from 12 to 18 years old. The goal of the series is to teach creative stress management and coping skills. All sessions will be presented at the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, 1211 Chestnut St., 9th floor Conference Room, Philadelphia, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. There is a $25.00 registration fee, which includes all materials. There will be parking validation available up to $7.00 per week. For further information, contact Dwane Dykes at 215-751-1800, ext. 234.
Philadelphia PIN Conference
On Saturday, October 7, 2000, Philadelphia Parents Involved Network will be presenting the Third Annual Advocacy and Information Conference at the DOUBLETREE HOTEL in Center City. The conference will include the following workshops: Understanding Your Child's Diagnosis; Juvenile Justice and Drug & Alcohol. This year PIN will be offering "double workshops" focusing on Medication and Special Education. For additional information contact: Candi Parente at 215-688-4226, ext. 238.
Philadelphia PIN Monthly Support Group
Parents Involved Network of Philadelphia sponsors a monthly support group meeting for parents of children and adolescents who have emotional and behavioral disorders. The meetings are parent run, free and are held during the day (11 a.m.-1 p.m.). Occasionally, speakers are invited to present on relevant topics.
Refreshments are served and help with transportation is available. Meetings are held on the 9th floor Conference Room at 1211 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19107. Meeting dates for the remainder of this year are:
- Wednesday, September 13
- Wednesday, October 18
- Wednesday, November 15
- Wednesday, December 13
For more information, contact Dwane Dykes at 215-751-1800, ext. 234.
Philadelphia Family Council for Children's Mental Health
The Philadelphia Family Council for Children's Mental Health is an advisory council of parents, grandparents and caregivers. The purpose of the council is to identify city-wide issues and concerns regarding children's mental health and related services. This information is reported back to the Philadelphia County Office of Mental Health for feed back on how issues will be resolved.
The Family Council meets quarterly, from 6 p.m. - 8 p.m. to allow all parents the opportunity to participate. Meetings are held at 1211 Chestnut St., 9th floor Conference Room. Refreshments are served and help is available for transportation. The next two meetings are scheduled for September 20,2000 and December 20, 2000. For more information contact Dwane Dykes at 215-751-1800, ext. 234.
And Don't Forget to Listen
Communication has two sides - you also have to be willing to listen. Listening is a skill and has to be learned. Listening is giving your attention to another person so you can hear what is being said.
Barriers to Listening
- The opinions are different than yours.
- You have had the conversation before.
- You don't like the person.
- The person is saying something you don't want to hear.
- You feel anxious or the comments cause stress.
Listening Tips
- STOP TALKING.
- Wait to hear what is being said.
- Turn off your negative feelings about the person.
- Don't jump to conclusions.
- Ask questions.
- Paraphrase - Put what others have said into your own words. For example, "I think I understand. You are saying that ... " and then put what you understand in your own words.
- Take notes.
Adapted from Family Empowerment Project: Family Group Curriculum Manual. Revised November, 1994. Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies. Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37312.
PIN, a project of the Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania, provides support, advocacy, information and referral resources for families of children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders. PIN is the Pennsylvania State Organization of the Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health.
Parents Involved Network
Mental Health Association of Southeastern Pennsylvania
1211 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
philly@pinofpa.org
215-751-1800