If your prevention initiative emphasizes service delivery to students and families at risk for substance use and violence, relationships with community-based groups will be invaluable. You and your team can develop these connections in several ways:

Gather and disseminate information about community-based services. To connect at-risk students and families with the services they need, school personnel must know what services are available and how they can be used. Consider working with your partners to develop or update a directory of social and community service agencies that includes detailed descriptions and contact information. Distribute this directory to families and staff and, if possible, make it available online. You may also want to schedule regular community meetings devoted to sharing information about community services, obtaining input about additional services that may be needed, and/or highlight specific topics and community agencies (e.g., Aid to Families with Dependent Children, available health services).

Improve on- and off-site service delivery. Schools vary dramatically in their capacity to provide mental and physical health services to students and families. Your school may want to improve service delivery by strengthening connections with community providers. Consider working with your planning team to identify any gaps in services and develop recommendations for consideration by district administrators and others.

Build family and staff capacity to connect with appropriate services. In order to make the best use of available services, families and school personnel need to be able to identify problems and make appropriate referrals. Family education and professional development can help the important adults in children's lives identify problems, connect students to appropriate services, and follow up to make sure that needs are being met.

If your planning team seeks to improve service provision for students and families at risk for substance use or violence as part of your comprehensive prevention plan, a prime objective will be to promote a continuum of services. One way to do this is to establish partnerships that include representatives from not only your middle school, but also your feeder elementary and connecting high school(s). Multi-school teams are very attractive to community organizations and agencies that often lack time and personnel to link with individual schools.