The Youth-in-Care with Disabilities Training Project began in September 2025. Content was developed with support from the U.S. Department of Education’s School-Based Mental Health Grant, awarded to West 40 Intermediate Service Center #2 in partnership with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. 

The training project aims to support school-based mental health professionals in increasing their knowledge and skills in supporting youth with disabilities involved in the child welfare system. Child welfare professionals and caregivers will also benefit from participation in this project. 

The project began with a 4-part webinar series with renowned speakers providing foundational knowledge of systems including child welfare, special education, and other systems that these youth are involved with, strategies to support their mental health and complex medical needs, and information on transition services for youth aging out of care. Following the webinar series, participants were encouraged to participate in communities of practice to further strengthen their skills through in-depth conversations.

The second part of the project is the currently ongoing Youth-in-Care with Disabilities Community of Practice (CoP). The CoP provides a forum to discuss and test out new ideas and implement new approaches while building long-term support from a community of colleagues. The CoP is geared toward school-based mental health professionals but is open to child welfare professionals, caregivers, and others interested in engaging together regularly for ongoing support and learning.

A handbook and other resources are made available as part of this project.