The principle
Keep it so the application writes itself.
Most schools do the work and then cannot describe it. Six months later somebody asks for numbers for a grant and there is a folder of screenshots.
What to keep, every screening
A short standing record, filled in the week of:
| Field | Why a funder wants it |
|---|---|
| Students engaged / screened / opted out | Reach |
| Participation rate | Implementation quality |
| Risk level distribution | Need |
| Safety plans completed, and same-day rate | Response capacity. The strongest number you have |
| Referrals made, and referrals blocked, by barrier | Unmet need, in a form that justifies funding |
| Care started at 30 days, continuing at 60 | Outcome, not activity |
| Staff hours spent | Cost, and sustainability |
| Trust score | Outcome over time |
| What you changed as a result | That you are a learning program, not a compliance one |
The three numbers funders respond to
Same-day completion. Almost nobody can say it. A school that screens and completes every High Risk safety plan the same day is describing an operational capability, not an intention.
Blocked referrals, by barrier. Counterintuitive, and it works. Twenty students who could not access care because of waitlists is the clearest possible statement of unmet need, and it is documented rather than asserted.
Care continuing at 60 days. The hardest number to produce and the one almost no school-based program has. It is the difference between "we referred" and "it worked." See Module 9.3.
Critical Reflection. What would your district say if asked today how many students it identified at risk last year and what happened to each of them? If the answer takes more than a day to produce, that is what this Module is for.
The narrative to keep alongside the numbers
Two or three de-identified accounts, written down within the week while they are still specific. Not case notes. The shape of what happened, with nothing identifying in it.
Every grant application asks for this and nobody remembers it in March.
Standing rule: never name a school or district in outward-facing material. Aggregate as "SAFER screening data, 2025 to 2026."
