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District outlines plan to hire in-house clinicians for therapeutic and behavioral services
Summary
Ventura Unified described a plan to replace contracted agency clinicians with district-employed clinicians in a team-centered model. Staff said in-house hires would improve documentation, consistency, school collaboration and oversight; trustees asked for midyear reporting on hiring progress and early outcomes.
Ventura Unified presented a plan Aug. 6 to convert contracted therapeutic and behavioral supports into a district-run Educational Therapeutic and Behavioral Services Department that will directly employ clinicians to serve students and schools.
Katie McCarol, the district’s newly appointed director for the department, said the model will provide enhanced communication, continuity, tailored interventions and direct district oversight of clinician hiring, caseloads and performance monitoring. "We're creating a system in which we replace the agency by hiring our own district clinicians to provide therapeutic and behavioral supports within a team-centered approach," McCarol said.
District staff described multiple expected outcomes: more consistent documentation and special-education compliance, earlier and more integrated participation in IEP and re-entry meetings, and a gradual expansion in capacity. A district social worker who has worked for both agency and district arrangements said clinicians reported higher job satisfaction after moving in-house because of better integration and alignment with school teams.
Staff said five clinicians have been hired to date and the district’s goal is roughly 16 clinicians when the department is fully staffed; typical caseloads were described as roughly 20–30 students but will be balanced through shared responsibilities and team models. Trustees asked for a midyear report showing hiring progress, early metrics (for example risk assessments performed and staff trainings delivered) and any cost-recovery data. Staff agreed to include a status update as part of the district’s midyear LCAP report.
The board did not take a vote on policy changes at the meeting; the presentation was informational and staff described hiring and implementation as ongoing.
