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HomeWelfare and Institutions CodeDiv. 4Pt. 3Ch. 4§ 4346 School Mental Health Teams

§ 4346 School Mental Health Teams

Welfare and Institutions Code·California
AI Summary·Official Text·Key Terms·Related Statutes·References
AI SummaryVerified

§ 4346 School Mental Health Teams

Key Takeaways

  • •Schools must have a team of mental health experts (like counselors or psychologists) and helpers called 'child aides' to support kids who need extra help.
  • •The mental health experts decide which kids join the program, assign them to a helper, check their progress, and decide when they can leave the program.
  • •Helpers (child aides) play with the kids every week to help them. They can be paid workers, volunteers, or people who get a little money to cover their costs.
  • •All helpers must be trained before they start working with kids. Training includes learning about how kids grow, how to handle emergencies, and how to play with kids in a helpful way.

Example

A 7-year-old named Alex is having trouble making friends and often gets upset in class. His teacher refers him to the school's primary intervention program.

The school counselor (a mental health expert) will decide if Alex can join the program. If he joins, Alex will be paired with a trained helper who will play with him every week to help him feel better and learn how to make friends. The counselor will check on Alex's progress and decide when he no longer needs the help.

AI-generated — May contain errors. Not legal advice. Always verify source.

Official Source
View on CA.gov

§ 4346 School Mental Health Teams

(a) Each primary intervention program shall have a core team consisting of school-based mental health professionals, including credentialed school psychologists, school counselors, school social workers, or local mental health program professionals, or a combination thereof, and child aides. (b) The school-based mental health professionals shall be responsible for accepting referred children into the program, supervision of the child aides, assignment of a child to an aide, evaluation of progress, and determination of termination from the program. The mental health professionals shall supervise the scoring and interpretation of screening and assessment test data, conduct conferences with parents, and evaluate the effectiveness of individual aides. (c) Child aides, under supervision of the school-based mental health professional, shall conduct weekly play sessions with children served in the primary intervention programs. Child aides may be salaried school aides, unpaid volunteers or other persons with time and interest in working with young children, and who may be provided stipends to meet expenses. (d) All aides shall undergo a time-limited period of training that is focused on the main intervention strategies of the particular program and is provided prior to direct contacts with the children served in the primary intervention programs. Training shall, at a minimum, include basic child development, crisis intervention, techniques of nondirective play, other intervention skills appropriate to identified problem areas, and instruction in utilizing supervision and consultation. (Amended by Stats. 1992, Ch. 722, Sec. 18. Effective September 15, 1992.)

Last verified: January 23, 2026

Key Terms

interventionterminationcrisisschoolhealthdevelopmenteffective septembercombination

Related Statutes

  • § 4343 Early Mental Health Prevention
  • § 4344 Primary Intervention Programs
  • § 4348 Mental Health Intervention Grants
  • § 4349 Mental Health Grant Criteria
  • § 5965.04 Veteran Housing Funding Uses

References

  • Official text at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
  • California Legislature. Welfare and Institutions Code. Section 4346.
View Official Source