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Specialized Services & Training

Critical Intervention Mapping

1.5 or 3 Days | In-Person

Critical Intervention Mapping (CIM) is an evidence-informed approach to systems planning that guides cross-systems collaborators to improve a community’s ability to more effectively serve youth with behavioral health needs involved in the juvenile legal system.

During the workshop, participants from across the juvenile legal and behavioral health systems share details about the local service systems along critical intervention points (or intercepts) that exist along the juvenile legal continuum. The mapping workshops serve as a framework for collaborative, cross-systems planning and specifically help state/local system administrators and collaborators assess system duplications, gaps, and opportunities.

After developing a comprehensive list of resources and gaps throughout the critical intervention points, workshop participants brainstorm a list of priorities for action to leverage existing resources and to close those system- and service-level gaps. Participants then vote on the list of priorities for action and develop a preliminary action plan for the top priorities. Communities have the option of selecting a virtual follow-up approximately one month after the workshop for an additional half-day session to support ongoing planning efforts.

The workshops examine current processes across five critical decision points:

  • Community and Schools

  • Initial First Responder Contact

  • Intake and Judicial Processing

  • Detention and Residential Placement

  • Probation and Re-Entry

The mapping workshops are customized to ensure the unique needs of each community are met.

They are designed to improve equity in access to services and advance efforts to incorporate a developmental approach and trauma-informed practices throughout a youth’s involvement in the behavioral health and/or juvenile legal system, maximizing health and wellbeing.

Collectively, NYSAP partners and associates have more than 15 years of experience delivering these mapping services, which are based on the Blueprint for Change: A Comprehensive Model for the Identification and Treatment of Youth with Mental Health Disorders in Contact with the Juvenile Justice System.

What to Expect from the Process

1. Workshop Preparation

First, we will help a community prepare for the CIM mapping workshop by meeting with local partners to discuss cross-systems planning efforts and assess local need areas.

2. Pre-Workshop Consultation

Then, we assist by holding monthly meetings to identify targeted goals for the process, discuss collaborator engagement, and workshop logistics.

3. Determination of Needs

After developing a comprehensive list of resources and gaps throughout the critical intervention points, workshop participants brainstorm a list of priorities for action to close those gaps.

4. Develop an Action Plan

Participants then vote on the list of priorities for action and develop a plan.

5. Optional
Follow-Up

Communities have the option to select a virtual follow-up approximately one month after the workshop for an additional half-day session to support ongoing planning efforts.

What to Expect from the Outcomes

Best practice approaches and national trends across the juvenile legal system continuum.

A locally-developed map representing current practice across the juvenile legal continuum including access to behavioral health services, identification of local resources and gaps, priorities for change, and a preliminary action plan for ongoing improvement.

Policy and practice recommendations with connection to national and local resources tailored to each goal defined in the action plans to support successful implementation and further planning.

Potential recommendations for other NYSAP or related services.

Mental Health Training for Juvenile Justice (MHT-JJ)

3 Days | Train-the-Trainer Session | In-Person

1 Day | Direct Practice Training | In-Person or Virtual

MHT-JJ was developed by and for juvenile probation, detention, and corrections staff to increase staff capacity to work with adolescents experiencing behavioral health conditions.

From probation intake to secure corrections, juvenile justice staff are responsible for the day-to-day care of a large population of youth, many of whom are experiencing behavioral health conditions or traumatic stress reactions. Juvenile justice involvement can exacerbate a youth’s condition, creating a dangerous situation for both the youth and juvenile justice staff. The MHT-JJ training increases knowledge of adolescent development, child trauma, and adolescent behavioral health conditions. It helps staff develop an understanding of how these issues may affect youth-staff interactions and enhances skills that support effective and safe interactions between youth and staff.

Crisis Intervention Teams for Youth (CIT-Y)    

3 Days | Train-the-Trainer Session | In-Person

1 Day | Direct Practice Training | In-Person or Virtual

CIT-Y is a community-based strategy for improving interactions between law enforcement and youth experiencing behavioral health crises. The CIT-Y training was designed for law enforcement officers who have previously completed CIT training for adults but seek specific knowledge and training on working with youth. It allows for the inclusion of site-specific information or data, case studies, and real-life examples that are relevant to the target audience and can be modified as needed to reflect the unique challenges of a local jurisdiction.

In some situations, a jurisdiction may find it useful to include clinical staff associated with the law enforcement officers being trained. This helps to ensure that community behavioral health providers and law enforcement officers are receiving the same information and can jointly discuss any systemic issues that may arise.

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