Project Cal-Well

Product or Programme · All products and programmes
Evidence · 3 claims (3 for) · 2 studies (1 associational, 1 design), q2 · 0 of 2 report an effect size · 3 claims rest on one study

Description

Project Cal-Well is a California Department of Education initiative, funded through a SAMHSA grant, that helps local educational agencies build sustainable school- and community-based mental health systems.

Components

• Project Cal-Well three-component model for sustainable school-based mental health systems: The brief describes the Project Cal-Well model as "anchored by three components": Component 1 improves school climate for schoolwide prevention (policy changes, mental health literacy training, universal screening, MTSS and SEL programs, student-led clubs); Component 2 increases access to school-based behavioral health services (linkage protocols, staffing, referral tracking); Component 3 enhances community collaborations (partnerships, outreach, crisis response protocols). LEAs used this multifaceted approach emphasizing collaboration, community engagement, and infrastructure development. (Project Cal-Well: Building Sustainable School-Based Mental Health Systems (2024))
• Project Cal-Well three-component school mental health model: Project Cal-Well is a program that "aims to expand mental health services in schools and communities," initiated by the California Department of Education in 2014 and funded by a SAMHSA NITT-AWARE grant. In PUSD it operated across three components: Tier 1 universal supports for positive school climate and social–emotional skills, Tier 2 increased availability of school-based mental health services, and Component 3 partnerships and cross-system collaborations to promote youth well-being. The brief uses this structure to organize the district's activities. (Paradise Unified School District: Building School Mental Health Systems to Support Healing et al. (2024))
• Three-component Project Cal-Well model of school-based mental health: The Project Cal-Well model organizes school mental health work into three components: Tier 1 universal supports that create positive school climates and develop social-emotional skills, resilience, and safety; Tier 2 increased availability of and access to school-based mental health services; and Tier 3 cross-system partnerships to promote youth well-being. The brief states SCOE and partner districts "focused on the following activities across the three main components of the Project Cal-Well model," a framework the California Department of Education has led since 2014 under SAMHSA funding. (WestEd (2024))
• Wellness spaces co-designed with students: Wellness spaces are dedicated school environments established to foster community and well-being. Project Cal-Well supported "six wellness spaces in the three participating districts," including the Bear Cave at Ross Middle School. The brief emphasizes that the spaces "were developed with direct input from students," aligning the physical environment with student preferences so the spaces act as inviting, supportive environments within the Tier 1 universal supports component. (WestEd (2024))
• Organizing school mental health work as a multi-tiered system of supports with three Project Cal-Well components: The district shifted toward "a multi-tiered system of supports (MTSS) approach, allowing it to implement a sustainable school mental health system." Work is organized across three components: Tier 1 universal supports for positive school climate and social-emotional skills; Tier 2 increased availability of and access to school-based mental health services; and Tier 3 partnerships and cross-system collaborations for youth well-being. (Northern Humboldt Union High School District: Aligning Mental Health Initiatives With a Multi-Tiered System of Supports Through Project Cal-Well (2024))

Claims

• Secondary students in PUSD reported declining rates of chronic sadness/hopelessness and suicidal ideation from 2020/21 to 2022/23 [+W]
• Secondary students in PUSD increasingly reported open mental health conversations at school and knowing where to go for help from 2020/21 to 2022/23 [+W]
• Project Cal-Well in Stanislaus County trained 1,750 mental health workforce members and more than 12,000 non-workforce individuals between fall 2019 and December 2023 [+M]

Related Products and Programmes

• Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI)
• MindMatters school-based mental health promotion programme
• California Educator Effectiveness Block Grant

Key Sources

• Project Cal-Well: Building Sustainable School-Based Mental Health Systems. (2024). WestEd. https://wested.org
• Paradise Unified School District: Building School Mental Health Systems to Support Healing and Recovery Through Project Cal-Well. (2024). WestEd. https://wested.org
• WestEd. (2024). Stanislaus County Office of Education: Project Cal-Well Journey. https://www.wested.org
• Northern Humboldt Union High School District: Aligning Mental Health Initiatives With a Multi-Tiered System of Supports Through Project Cal-Well. (2024). WestEd. https://www.wested.org

Page metadata

Field	Value
type	product
id	project-cal-well
title	Project Cal-Well
description	Project Cal-Well is a California Department of Education initiative, funded through a SAMHSA grant, that helps local educational agencies build sustainable school- and community-based mental health systems.
status	review
moved_from	design/cal-well-student-input-wellness-spaces, design/project-cal-well-mtss-three-component-organization
product_kind	programme
generated	by process:settle-candidates on 2026-10-09
trust	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources	2 — wested-2024, northern-humboldt-union-high-school-district-aligning-mental-health-initiatives-with-a-multi-tiered-system-of-supports-through-project-cal-well-2024

Frontmatter is the page's machine-readable record — see the Schema & Guide.