Executive Summary
Increasing Access to Comprehensive Behavioral Health Supports for Students
Background
In 2025, the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Work Group provided recommended to the Legislature to establish and fund a technical assistance and training network to equip schools with resources and training needed to coordinate comprehensive supports across the behavioral health continuum for students.
Washington Thriving Initiative
Washington Thriving is a statewide collaborative effort to implement a strategic plan transforming the behavioral health system for residents from birth through age 25. In November 2025, the work group adopted this plan, which provides a shared framework for action and investment over the next decade to build an integrated system of care to support youth behavioral healthSummary
Technical Assistance and Training Network
A technical assistance and training network is established to support school districts and public schools in coordinating comprehensive behavioral health supports for students. The network will provide technical assistance, resources, and training across the behavioral health continuum. Potential partners include educational service districts, academic centers of excellence, and community organizations.Network Responsibilities
The network must deliver direct assistance to school districts and public schools in establishing, implementing, and evaluating behavioral health efforts. The statute identifies nine categories of assistance, including:- Conducting or supporting needs assessments to identify students’ behavioral health needs.
- Assisting in the design and implementation of evidence-based behavioral health programs
- Facilitating connections with community organizations and state and local agencies to strengthen school–community behavioral health supports.
- Providing tools for family and community engagement in behavioral health initiatives.
Coordinating Hub
The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) must establish a coordinating hub to create, manage, and sustain the network. At minimum, the coordinating hub must:- Analyze data to identify priorities for the network.
- Provide strategic oversight to ensure network priorities align with state frameworks, systemwide goals, and statutory requirements.
- Establish criteria for recruiting and selecting network partners.
- Promote, organize, and coordinate network activities as necessary.
Ways to Get Involved
Steps to Get Started
- Learn where the bill is in the legislative process.
- If there is an upcoming hearing, decide how you would like to get your voice heard and take action.
- If there is not an upcoming hearing, or if you want to supplement your advocacy, call or write your legislators.
- Spread the word and get other people on board.
Participating in a Hearing
Sign in Pro, Con, or Other
This is when individuals, advocates, and organizations make their position on a particular bill known for the record. This is particularly powerful in large numbers. Many organizations will send out Action Alerts asking people to sign in Pro or Con on a bill.
Submit Written Testimony
Submitting written testimony is a great way not only to make your position known to legislators but also to explain why in more detail. This is a good option if you don’t want to speak in front of others. People also like to offer more nuance to their position by writing.
Testify Virtually
Since COVID, many legislators are allowing remote/virtual testimony for bill hearings, as it greatly expands access to the legislative process across the state. For this, individuals usually have between 1-2 minutes to state their opinion on a bill in front of the legislative committee on Zoom.