 and prevention strategies via virtual, electronic, telephonic, or other safe means during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two federal agencies – the Administration for Children and Families [ACF], and the Health Resources and Services Administration [HRSA] – suggest collaborative strategies that states, tribal entities and grantees can use during the national emergency to engage and support the whole family. The letter includes an appendix of Selected Resources for Primary Prevention to Strengthen Families and Support the Whole Family.
Mandated Reporting: Information for School Staff During ‘Safer at Home’: Provides specific contextual considerations for Wisconsin school employees who are designated “mandated reporters” by state law. This two-page resource summarizes signs and symptoms of child abuse and neglect, cautions about not jumping to conclusions before considering familial and household stressors, offers guidance to support appropriate and helpful conversation with students and caregivers to enable better understanding and to provide support, and directs required reporting to county or tribal child welfare agencies.
Responding to Child Abuse During a Pandemic: 25 Tips for MDTs: Offers a list of tips from the Zero Abuse Project to assist multi-disciplinary teams in responding to child abuse during the pandemic outbreak.
Hidden Consequences: How the COVID Pandemic is Impacting Children (Webinar: Child Health and Wellness): Discusses how the COVID-19 pandemic may be affecting children. This first webinar on 9/30/20 was the first in a four-part series whose topics include impacts on child health and wellness, child emotional and social effects, the impact of COVID-19 on children with special healthcare needs, and how secondary/other disasters may affect children during the pandemic. Produced by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) Technical Resources, Assistance Center, and Information Exchange (TRACIE), this first webinar focused on child health and wellness. Panelists discussed resumption of routine care, missed immunizations, lead poisoning screening, sleep, and child neglect and abuse. The first slide in this slide deck includes a link to the recorded 75-minute webinar.
COVID-19 OBSSR Research Tools: Lists and links to data collection instruments, including surveys, for assessing COVID-19-related behavioral and social sciences domains for clinical and population research. The National Institutes of Health [NIH] Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research has compiled this table, whose contents can be accessed to detect/identify physical and mental health impacts of the pandemic and its consequences. Included tools can support screening among students, families and even educators as a predicate to arranging responsive treatment and support when indicated.
School Counseling During COVID-19: Provides guidance and materials to support school counselors to provide effective services and supports to students during COVID-19-related school shutdowns and student absences, with complementary materials for parents. The American School Counselor Association [ASCA] furnishes three tailored toolkits:
- Virtual Elementary School Counseling
- Virtual Middle School Counseling
- Virtual High School Counseling
States Expand Medicaid Reimbursement of School-Based Telehealth Services: Highlights the types of school-based telehealth services that states reimbursed through Medicaid prior to COVID-19, and policy changes during the pandemic. This May 2021 issue brief by the National Academy for State Health Policy discusses those policies and key considerations for states during and beyond the pandemic. The issue brief also links to a concise state-by-state chart showing the range of Medicaid-covered telehealth services in schools, with hyperlinks to each state’s guidance documents supporting that reimbursement (Medicaid-Reimbursable School-Based Telehealth Services)
CMS Physician Payment Rule Promotes Greater Access to Telehealth Services, Diabetes