Supportive School Safety Intervention Project (SIP)

Anna Maria College (AMC) proposes to partner with schools in central Massachusetts for the Supportive School Safety Intervention Project (SIP) with the purpose of increasing school safety by implementing solutions grounded in mental health that will prevent violence and promote a safe school environment. AMC will establish the Public Safety and Mental Health Training Institute on campus as a resource for schools and use this as a hub for work with the surrounding school communities in central Massachusetts. The project will offer training to school personnel, parents, students, police, first responders, school-based counselors, school resource officers, and other community stakeholders to raise awareness about mental health and how to prevent students struggling with mental distress from harming themselves or others. SIP projected outcomes include the following: train parents, students, school personnel, school-based child welfare and social workers, first responders, and school resource officers in Mental Health First Aid, Youth Mental Health First Aid, and/or Teen Mental Health First Aid; train trainers to provide Mental Health First Aid programming in the future; establish the AMC Public Safety and Mental Health Training Institute as a resource for schools in central Massachusetts; identify or develop and offer additional evidence-based, community-specific trainings and interventions designed to improve school safety focusing especially on historically marginalized, underserved, and under resourced communities, based on collaboration with and input from the communities served with SIP.

AMC will partner with school districts, law enforcement, and the Worcester County District
Attorney's Office on this initiative