School Community Intervention & Prevention



SCIP is a proven success story! 

School Community Intervention & Prevention (SCIP) was originally developed in 1983 by community representatives and concerned educators to assist students experiencing difficulty in the learning environment which may be related to mental/behavioral health concerns, or substance abuse issues.

When a young person’s behavior changes the people most likely to recognize it are those who interact with them regularly.  That’s why SCIP is designed to include their parents, guardians, teachers and other school staff.  Our role is to make certain that, when school personnel see behaviors out of the ordinary in their students, they understand what could be happening and how to respond.

SCIP partners with schools and community behavioral health agencies across Nebraska to address the difficulties students may be experiencing.  SCIP is a program focused on providing support and assistance to families in need, ensuring all youth have access to the appropriate services. 

How We Succeed:

SCIP provides prevention, education, and early intervention services.  We recognize that a child’s behavioral health needs must be addressed at early on-set, rather than waiting until they have progressed to a more critical level and are more difficult to address.

The SCIP process applies a multi-layered approach to at-risk behaviors in youth.  Following a student’s referral to SCIP, the team assesses the need for further action, coordinating an intervention with the student and/or their parent/guardian when necessary.  A plan is developed to address the concerns and increase the student's opportunity to succeed in school.  This plan may include a referral to a school resource or to one of our partnering behavioral health agencies who will provide a screening for the student, at no cost to the family. The SCIP Team continues to provide on-going support for the student within the school environment.

School SCIP Team members are trained to respond and offer support for youth displaying concerning behaviors. 

SCIP Team Training

Each year, SCIP offers a 4-day comprehensive training for school staff members who will serve as active SCIP Team members at their schools.  Participants at this annual training are trained in SCIP’s four components: 

     •   Identification of students exhibiting behaviors which may interfere with their ability to be successful
     •   Intervention with the student and family to share concerns, seek solutions, and explore options
     •   Referral to in-school or community resources to assist the student 
     •   Support for students within the school environment  

Team members are also educated on a variety of mental and behavioral health disorders that affect children and adolescents, providing them with a knowledge-base of each disorder including risk factors, signs and symptoms, and effects.  They are given strategies on how to interact and support affected students and provided with additional resources.  Presentations are given by community professionals who present on topics within their area of expertise.  These topics include:

     •   Depression
     •   Eating Disorders
     •   Self-Injury
     •   Domestic & Teen Violence
     •   Grief
     •   BullyingSuicide Ideation
     •   Youth Gambling
     •   Gang Awareness
     •   Mental Health Disorders
     •   Substance Addiction, Treatment and Recovery
     •   Current trends in substances of abuse including illegal substances, prescription and over-the-counter
          medications, and drug paraphernalia

SCIP believes that a collaborative working relationship between schools, parents, and the community sets a strong foundation for helping students reach their full potential. 

For more information about School Community Intervention & Prevention and its services, just click on any of the options to your left.