Call for Applicants to Participate in the Criminal Justice/Mental Health Collaboration Learning Sites Program In partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), the Council of State Governments Justice Center (CSG Justice Center) is seeking applicants for the Criminal Justice/Mental Health Collaboration Learning Sites Program (Learning Sites Program). This program is designed to identify and highlight agencies from across the country with successful collaborations between the criminal justice and mental health systems in the areas of pretrial, community corrections, and court-based programs (e.g. mental health courts or agencies providing case management and treatment linkages) that are willing to share their expertise with the field. Sites are chosen not just for their programmatic successes, but also for their ability to provide insight and guidance to other jurisdictions interested in starting or expanding a criminal justice/mental health collaboration. Deadline All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. EST on July 11, 2014. (See “Deadlines,” page 2). Contact Information For technical assistance with submitting an application, please contact Emily Harris, Program Associate, CSG Justice Center, at 646-356-0054 or eharris@csg.org. Contents Overview of Learning Sites Program ............................................................................................................. 2 Target Population .............................................................................................................................................. 2 Deadlines ............................................................................................................................................................ 2 Eligibility ............................................................................................................................................................. 2 Application Process .......................................................................................................................................... 3 Selection Criteria................................................................................................................................................ 4 Application ......................................................................................................................................................... 6 Appendix A: Checklist for Application ....................................................................................................... 19
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I.
Overview of Learning Sites Program The Criminal Justice/Mental Health Collaboration Learning Sites Program (Learning Sites Program) is program is designed to identify and highlight agencies from across the country with successful collaborations between criminal justice and mental health in the areas of pretrial, community corrections, and court-based programs (e.g., mental health courts or agencies providing case management and treatment linkages) that are willing to share their expertise with the field. The learning sites serve as centers for peer-to-peer learning for other criminal justice and mental health agencies and organizations, hosting site visits from other jurisdictions, answering questions from the field, and working with BJA and the CSG Justice Center to assess and improve their own program operations. Selected jurisdictions will be designated as learning sites for one year, with possible extensions, and will work closely with the CSG Justice Center to provide peer learning opportunities to programs nation-wide as well as fellow learning sites, stay abreast of current research and best practices, and improve their own programs. While learning sites do not receive funding from BJA or the CSG Justice Center, they are reimbursed for approved costs associated with hosting site visits from other jurisdictions and have access to technical assistance provided by CSG Justice Center staff.
II.
Target Population The target population for the Learning Sites Program is programs or community based agencies and initiatives (hereafter referred to as programs) working with individuals with identified mental disorders engaged in the criminal justice system, either (1) in a pretrial capacity, (2) participating in a court-based program (e.g. mental health courts or agencies providing case management and treatment linkages), or (3) under correctional supervision. Sites that engage in work in more than one of these areas are also encouraged to apply.
III.
Deadlines All applications are due by 11:59 p.m. EST on July 11, 2014. Applications must be submitted by email to Emily Harris at eharris@csg.org. Hard copies of supporting materials can be mailed to CSG Justice Center ATTN: EMILY HARRIS, 100 Wall Street, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10005. See the following sections for more information on how to apply.
IV.
Eligibility The Learning Site Program is open to mental health court programs, pretrial services programs, and community corrections programs that work with people with identified mental health needs. Programs must be willing to serve as learning sites for the duration of the program and fulfill the duties of learning sites, including but not limited to: •
Responding to questions from the field in a timely and thoughtful manner; Page 2 of 19
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• • • V.
Hosting site visits with interested jurisdictions and providing summaries of these visits to the CSG Justice Center; Engaging in CSG Justice Center hosted peer-to-peer learning activities (e.g., web meetings, webinars, and conference calls); and Consulting with the CSG Justice Center on projects or publications relevant to their program expertise.
Application Process Please review the following application process and email your completed application to Emily Harris at eharris@csg.org by 11:59 p.m. EST on July 11, 2014. Hard copies of supporting materials can be mailed to: CSG Justice Center, ATTN: EMILY HARRIS, 100 Wall Street, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10005 A. Submit a letter of interest, the completed application, and requested attachments A letter of interest must be submitted by program leadership to Emily Harris at the email address above. The letter of interest should address: ! Why your program would like to be a learning site; ! How the program would incorporate learning site duties (including responding to questions from the field, hosting site visits, reporting summaries of quarterly activities to the CSG Justice Center, and engaging with peers); and ! How the program meets the selection criteria outlined in Section VI. This letter should be double-spaced, using a standard 12-point font with not less than 1inch margins, and should not exceed 5 pages. Applicants must also submit a completed application (Section VII) and the requested supplementary materials. B. Telephone interviews and on-site observation After all applications received by July 11, 2014 are reviewed, a subset of sites will be selected as finalists based upon the quality of the applications submitted and how well the sites demonstrate that they meet the selection criteria in Section VI. The CSG Justice Center will then schedule follow-up calls and/or an on-site visit with these final sites to inform the final selection of learning sites. C. Final selection Based on the letter of interest, application, supporting materials, and information obtained through the telephone interview and/or on-site observation, the CSG Justice Center will identify sites that best fit the selection criteria and have the greatest capacity to serve as learning sites. A limited number of pretrial programs, mental health court programs, and community corrections programs will be chosen as learning sites.
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All application materials and findings, as well as recommendations, will be presented to the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, CSG Justice Center staff, and outside expert consultants for final review and confirmation. VI.
Selection Criteria Learning sites will be selected to ensure a diversity of programs that meet the following criteria: ! Demonstrated leadership: Site has demonstrated support from stakeholders and a commitment to working with their national peers to improve the field. ! Demonstrated partnerships: Site shows strong commitment to partnerships with behavioral health treatment providers. Site demonstrates a connection to relevant state actors and agencies and the community and shows involvement with community stakeholders. ! Demonstrated sustainability: Site has demonstrated commitment to sustainability through evaluations, data analysis, committed partners and champions, and identified processes and funding. Site has funding identified and in place to sustain their operation for the duration of their time as a learning site and an identified staff member to handle learning site needs. ! Commitment to evidence-based practices and current research: Site demonstrates familiarity with, and implementation of evidence-based practices for their field, and awareness of the state of research, particularly in the areas of: (1) screenings and assessments for criminogenic risk and behavioral health need; (2) supervision and treatment planning; and (3) appropriate staff training. For mental health court programs this includes adherence to Improving Responses to People with Mental Illness: The Essential Elements of a Mental Health Court. For more on best practices in mental health courts, please see Developing a Mental Health Court: An Interdisciplinary Curriculum, available online at learning.csgjusticenter.org. For community corrections programs this includes adherence to Improving Responses to People with Mental Illnesses: The Essential Elements of Specialized Probation Initiatives and Improving Outcomes for People with Mental Illnesses under Community Corrections Supervision: A Guide to Research-Informed Policy and Practice. ! Data collection and sharing capacity: Site is willing and able to collect and share data about their program, including program size, participant demographics, average length of stay for participants, and participant outcomes. No individually identified Personal Health Information will be shared or requested. Sites should also have in place a system for collecting, analyzing, and sharing data with relevant actors. If a site does not currently have infrastructure and processes in place to collect data, it must be willing to work with the CSG Justice Center to implement a data collection process. Page 4 of 19
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! Willingness to fulfill the duties of a learning site: Site is willing and able to interact with
the field as well as fellow learning sites, host visitors, answer calls, connect with programs nation-wide, stay abreast of current research and best practices, advise on current CSG Justice Center projects, participate in CSG Justice Center programming when applicable, and report summaries of quarterly activities to the CSG Justice Center. Please note: Efforts will be made to ensure the class of learning sites is diverse and equally represents rural, suburban, and urban jurisdictions.
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VI.
Application
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Please submit no later than July 11, 2014 at 11:59pm EST
Please answer as many questions as possible as fully as possible. If you have questions, please email Emily Harris at eharris@csg.org.
Contact Information Name of Program
Name of Contact Person Title Organization
Address (of program) Telephone Email
Fax: Website:
Type of program: (select all that apply)
Pretrial
Mental Health Court
Community Corrections
Other: ___________
Program Information 1) Please briefly describe your program including its mission, length of operation, and target population.
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Learning(Site(Program(|(Application(Form( 2) Please list any and all criminal justice and mental health partners who were involved in the design and planning of this program.
3) Please list any and all criminal justice and mental health partners who are present in the implementation of this program.
4) Please describe the role of the judge(s) in the design and operation of the program.
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Learning(Site(Program(|(Application(Form( 5) How is your program/are your operations funded?
Screenings and Assessments1 6) Are program participants screened for criminogenic needs and risk of recidivism? If so, how and when is this screening done?
7) For pretrial programs, are individuals screened for likelihood of failure to appear and/or risk of new criminal activity while on pretrial release? If so, how and when is this screening done?
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1!Screenings!are!initial!assessments,!generally!conducted!with!a!short!tool!and!not!necessarily!requiring! professional!judgment!which!are!not!used!to!identify!needs!or!direct!treatment!and/or!supervision!plans.! Assessment!is!used!here!to!refer!to!a!longer!and!more!in!depth!process!of!identifying!needs!and!information! that!can!be!used!to!guide!treatment!and/or!supervision!plans.!
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Learning(Site(Program(|(Application(Form( 8) A. Are program participants screened for mental health needs? If so, how and when is this screening done? B. What happens if someone screens positively for mental health needs? Please answer both parts
9) A. Are program participants screened for substance use/co-occurring substance use needs? If so, how and when is this screening done? B. What happens if someone screens positively for substance use or co-occurring substance use needs? Please answer both parts
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Learning(Site(Program(|(Application(Form( 10) If your program participants are screened, are they re-assessed at any point during the program? If so, at what point in the program subsequent assessments occur and how often?
11) Are individuals assessed for eligibility for health coverage?
12) How does your program assess indigence? Is your program open to indigent participants?
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Learning(Site(Program(|(Application(Form( 13) If your program conducts screenings and assessments (for criminogenic risk, mental health needs, substance use needs, etc.), how are they used by your program? Do screenings and assessments inform supervision and/or treatment plans?
Supervision and Case Planning 14) A. What information is used to create treatment and supervision plans? Are participants involved in the creation of treatment and supervision plans? If treatment and supervision plans are tailored to individuals, please explain how. B. Are defense attorneys involved in the creation of treatment and supervision plans? Please answer both parts
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15) How are treatment and supervision plans modified? Are defense attorneys and/or participants involved in the modification of treatment and supervision plans?
16) Please explain your program’s approach to incentives and sanctions for program participants. Who is notified of treatment non-compliance, and who administers incentives or sanctions?
17) How are attorneys, supervision officers, or others assigned to work with participants with mental health needs? Do they receive any additional training or a reduced caseload for working with specialty populations?
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18) How and when are participants connected to treatment providers? What is the average wait time for treatment? Is treatment available in the community?
19) What kind of arrangements does your program have with treatment providers to facilitate access to care? For example, does your program have a number of spots reserved for its participants, does it provide its own services, pay for services; and if so, do services prioritize program participants, etc.? ! !
20) What, if any, other community supports are available to participants in your program (e.g., housing, supported employment, assistance with benefits enrollment, peer services and supports)?
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Data Collection and Information Sharing 21) What data does your program collect? How is this data collected and stored?
22) Are there processes in place to share participant information? If this information is shared, what information is shared with whom (e.g., court, prosecutors, supervision officers, treatment providers)?
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Community Partnerships 23) Are there local task forces or advisory boards in your community that your program interacts with? (e.g., Criminal Justice Coordinating Council)?
24) What is your program’s relationship with state task forces and agencies? For example, does the mental health court receive training and technical assistance from the state problem-solving court coordinator?
Fees 25) What costs are associated with program participation? How does the program factor in ability to pay in assessing and collecting these costs?
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Evaluations 26) How is your program evaluated? Has your program’s data been used to generate evaluations? Please submit a recent program evaluation, if available. ! !
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Training 27) What sort of training on working with people with mental and co-occurring substance use disorders have team members received?
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Learning(Site(Program(|(Application(Form( 28) A. Has your program (or its correctional partners) trained staff in Motivational Interviewing, or other communication techniques designed to enhance engagement and improve responsivity to treatment? B. Has training been conducted for staff on cross-systems practices, specialized evidence based practices or other topics relevant to working with your target population? If not, will training be offered in the future? Please answer both parts
29) What sort of trainings have team members provided to others locally, within the state, and/or nationally?
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30) Is training provided for administering and scoring screening instruments? If so, please describe.
Supporting Materials Please submit as many of the below items as possible, as well as any documentation you feel is necessary to support answers given on this application. Items in bold are required to be submitted for your application to be considered.
• • • •
• •
Policy and procedures manuals (e.g., written policies, tool or guidelines that support any of your answers) Blank case plan Statistics on program size, demographics, average length of involvement and jail stays for participants and participant outcomes (e.g., success, failure, remand) Letter of support from agency head or elected official (as many as applicable) " Judge or Presiding Magistrate " Treatment Provider " County Commission/Manager " Social Services Agency " Program Board Member " Law Enforcement Agency " Pretrial Services Agency and/or Probation Department (required for pretrial and/or community corrections programs) " Prosecutor’s Office (required for mental health courts) " Chief Defender/Defense Bar (required for mental health courts) " *If mental health court: Relevant state administrative office of the courts or other designee responsible for problem-solving courts Any annual reports and/or program brochures Program evaluations (either internal or from a third-party evaluator)
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Appendix A: Checklist for Application The following items must be submitted to Emily Harris at eharris@csg.org by July 11, 2014 at 11:59 EST. ! Letter of Interest (See Section V) ! Completed Application (See Section VII) ! Attachments (See Section VII) Required attachments: o Policy and procedures manuals o Blank case plan o Statistics on program size, demographics, average length of involvement and jail stays for participants and participant outcomes (e.g., success, failure, remand) o Letter of support from agency head or elected official (as many as applicable) " Judge or Presiding Magistrate " Treatment Provider " County Commission/Manager " Pretrial Services Agency and/or Probation Department (required for pretrial and community corrections programs) " Prosecutor’s Office (required for mental health courts) " Chief Defender/Defense Bar (required for mental health courts) " *If mental health court: Relevant state administrative office of the courts or other designee responsible for problem-solving courts Optional Attachments: o Any annual reports and/or program brochures o Program evaluations (either internal or from a third-party evaluator) o Letter of support from agency head or elected official (as applicable) " Social Services Agency " Program Board Member " Law Enforcement Agency
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