The only part of this toolkit that can tell you not to proceed is this Readiness Assessment.
Fifteen minutes, honestly. A school that scores low here and screens anyway will find students it cannot respond to, which is the one outcome worse than not screening.
Never screen at a scale larger than your ability to follow up.
Part 1: The four that are not negotiable
If any of these is a no, fix it before you set a date.
- [ ] We can name the person accountable for follow-up after screening week. One name, not a role. They do not have to make every safety plan. They have to know whether every contact was made. A person, by name, not a role. See Module 9.3.
- Safety planner and follow up are two different jobs, The safety planners run the same-day conversations, and there may be several of them. The follow-up owner is one person who knows whether the one-week, thirty-day and sixty-day contacts happened
- [ ] We have a crisis intervention plan for students identified as being at immediate risk of suicide.
- [ ] We can answer four questions about our screening data in writing: we know what platform we use (microsoft, google), who will own the dashboard, who will access, where it will live. See Module 9.1.
- [ ] We can reach a licensed clinician by phone the same day for consultation. See Module 5.5.
Part 2: Capacity
Score each 0 to 2. 0 \= no, 1 \= partly, 2 \= yes.
| Score | ||
|---|---|---|
| We can name one safety planner per 160 students, across a four-day screening week \ | ||
| Each planner has about four hours a day free during screening week | ||
| Every planner has a named backup | ||
| Someone can own the queue full-time during screening blocks | ||
| Someone other than the queue owner can watch planner wellbeing and send someone home | ||
| We have a private room, with a door, that nobody else needs that week |
_____ / 12
Part 3: Response pathway
| Score | |
|---|---|
| We know where we refer students, and whether they are accepting new clients with active suicidal ideation | |
| We have at least four pre-vetted referral options | |
| We have a plan for students we cannot refer anywhere | |
| We can run a Tier 2 group, or we are willing to learn | |
| We have a relationship with mobile crisis, and know how to reach them | |
| Our district crisis response plan is current, and we have read it | |
| We know who contacts guardians, and what they say |
_____ / 14
Part 4: Trust and culture
| Score | |
|---|---|
| Our students would generally believe us about who sees their answers | |
| Our staff, including support staff, would be briefed and on board | |
| We have student groups who would help promote it | |
| Families in our community would mostly read a notice from us | |
| We can name three adults students actually go to, and at least one is not a counsellor |
_____ / 10
Reading your score
| Total | What it means |
|---|---|
| 30 to 36 | Ready. Set a date. |
| 21 to 29 | Ready with specific gaps. Fix the zeros first, and screen one grade rather than a school. Involve the SAFER team for consultation. |
| 13 to 20 | Not yet. Spend a term building, and start with one student. This is not a failure; most schools start here. Involve the SAFER team for consultation and to see where they can fill the gaps. |
| Under 13 | Screening is not your next step. Staffing, referral pathways or trust are. Talk to SAFER about what year one could look like. |
| Don't forget: SAFER support is available to conduct the entire universal screening process or support elements of it. We are mental health professionals who are skilled in conducting the Universal Screening process can prepare your school counselors, teachers, and other staff members. Consider our SAFER training program. Additionally, recommended education and tools for school counselors, teachers, and other staff members can be provided. Since they are often the first to notice changes in students' behaviors, providing them with the tools to recognize signs of suicidality can empower them to take appropriate action beyond a screening week. |
Critical Reflection. Do this twice: once alone, once with your team. Where the scores differ is where the real conversation is, and the person who scored lowest usually knows something the others do not.
A low score is a finding, not a verdict. When screening reveals capacity gaps, that is the program working. Those gaps now have names. The same is true before you screen at all.
| Lastly: initiatives like the Big River Programs in Oregon offer funding opportunities to schools that are committed to training their staff and personnel in suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention. These programs showcase a commitment at the state level to provide the necessary resources and support. Recommended Suicide Prevention Training for Schools |
# UNIT 1 – LEGAL AND ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
SAFER Universal Screening Toolkit. Seven Modules. All Open, because a school that never trains still has to get this right.
This Unit describes what SAFER understands the law to require. It is not legal advice, and a district should confirm with its own counsel. Where SAFER is uncertain, this Unit says so.
