Education and training are key factors to how prepared Indiana is when protecting against and responding to threats on school grounds. Educators and students should be aware of their surroundings, exits, procedures, and safeguards in place to protect them. School resource officers in Indiana complete a robust training program that equips them to deal with the many challenges that can occur in a school environment. Indiana is one of two states in the nation that requires a trained, school safety specialist in every school. Law enforcement and first responders train regularly with their communities to ensure a quick and efficient response to an incident in which time is critical in saving lives. Indiana offers many opportunities to educate and train communities. A sampling is listed below.
Mental Health Training Resources
- Mental Health First Aid Training
Youth Mental Health First Aid is a nationally recognized and evidence-based program that trains individuals who work with adolescents (ages 12-18) to recognize and respond to signs of mental health problems or crisis. The state of Indiana provides this training free of charge through NAMI.
Mental Health First Aid Training
- Ending the Silence
Ending the Silence, a program from NAMI Indiana, is an engaging presentation about the warning signs of mental health conditions and what steps to take if you or a loved one are showing symptoms of a mental illness.
Ending the Silence
- www.SeizeTheAwkward.org
Seize The Awkward is a campaign that helps people get past their fears and awkwardness of talking with friends about mental health so they can provide support to someone who may really need it.
www.SeizeTheAwkward.org
- Bring Change to Mind
Bring Change to Mind gives teens a platform to share their voices and raise awareness around mental health. Its goal is to empower students to educate one another and their communities, fight the stigma around mental illness, and to create a culture of peer support within their schools.
Bring Change to Mind
- Parent Cafés
Parent Cafés were created and developed by parent leaders to educate families on the Strengthening Families™ Protective Factors, a strengths-based system for parents and caregivers that helps keep children safe and families strong. The five Strengthening Families Protective Factors are resilience (parent resilience), relationships (positive social connections), support (concrete support in times of need), knowledge (knowledge of parent and child development) and communication (social and emotional competence).
To find out about Parent Cafés in your area, contact the DMHA Bureau Chief of Youth Services.
Parent Cafés
