What is Student Assistance Program? (SAP)

Westmoreland Casemanagement and Supports’ Student Assistant Program (SAP) is a school district-based program for school age children and adolescents (ages 5 through 21) intended to provide a connection to services in their home school district and community. The state of Pennsylvania mandated in 1990 that each school district provide students with a Student Assistance Program and access to a qualified Liaison to support in the identification of “high risk students who are having problems due to alcohol or drug use, depression, or other mental health problems; and intervene and refer these students to appropriate community services” (ACT 211 P.S.§ 15-1547 of the PA School Code). WCSI’s SAP Liaison Program supports both the role of the SAP Liaison and the case management link to services.

Students in each identified district can access the program through a formal referral to the SAP program in their home school or through a direct referral to the WCSI SAP Liaison based in their school. The support of the WCSI SAP Liaison also extends to the immediate family members of the students in the district. There are no economic or cultural limitations to the access of the WCSI SAP Liaison Program. The WCSI SAP Liaison Program encourages partnering with parents (parent involvement); fostering a strength-based approach (resiliency) when working with students and their families; and work to eliminate barriers to learning and school success; and completing individual or family member assessments which are utilized to refer to appropriate types of community-based services.

What does a SAP Liaison do?

The SAP Liaison shall be available to their assigned school district each school day to provide the following services to school teams and/or parents:

  • Consultation Services-For general inquiries about mental health community services and resources and to their assigned SAP core team for student specific SAP referrals
  • Assessment Services-with student and/or parent/guardian consent, complete the SAP assessment with the student and at least one parent/family member/guardian.
  • Provide the student/family and SAP core team with the recommendations following the assessment
  • Refer and link the student to the recommended services from the assessment
  • Follow the student/family until the recommended services have started
  • Provide relevant trainings to students, parents, and/or school faculty (as requested by school and/or with county approval for training needs identified by the SAP Liaison organization)
  • Provide co-facilitation with school faculty to students for psycho education and/or support group services relevant to youth mental health topics (as requested by the school and/or with county approval for group needs identified by the SAP Liaison organization)
  • Provide Emergency Behavioral Health services to schools/communities experiencing a mental health school wide and/or community event involving a student, family and/or school faculty
  • Work with the county crisis team responders as necessary for student specific mental health crisis events and assist in the completion of a petition for involuntary commitment.
  • Facilitate summer programming, field days, educational groups, and ad hoc events coordinated by the SAP program.

The SAP Liaison can also link you to services for family support to assist in building stronger family relationships. Liaisons can connect you to a case manager who can make referrals to the appropriate community agencies and support as you navigate through Westmoreland County’s Behavioral Health services. The SAP Liaison is available for each school district to assist in finding the support you need to help your family.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION OR RESOURCES PLEASE CONTACT:

Westmoreland Casemanagement and Supports, Inc.

Phone (724) 837-1808