CSGJC assisting law enforcement and behavioral health partners to design, develop & implement model response programs: Connect and Protect grantees and field

The Council of State Governments Justice Center (CSGJC) seeks $3,150,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) to provide Category 2 Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) to existing and new Connect and Protect (C&P) grantees and the field. Our goal will be to position grantees to foster police-mental health collaborations (PMHCs) to achieve better outcomes for people with mental health (MH) disorders and/or substance use disorders (MHDs/MHSUDs) while creating new fieldwide resources and revamping existing publications to better fit the current needs in the field such as incorporating the voices of people with lived experience and addressing racial disparities.

CSGJC’s will provide TTA to C&P grantees that is designed to ensure that they implement a system-wide, coordinated approach with accurate screening and assessment procedures, evidence-based practices (EBPs) that improve health outcomes and recidivism rates, effective data-collection and program evaluation, and the development of sustainability plans. With our partners, we will work with jails, prosecutors, public defense, courts, and community-based services and supervision, such as parole and probation, to educate and facilitate grantee goals and objectives toward improving and enhancing PMHCs.

Building on our success as the lead TTA provider for BJA’s JMHCP since 2006, including more than 200 past C&P grantees, CSGJC’s TTA approach will include: delivering TTA that is aligned with EBPs to improve outcomes for the target populations; a TA Coach for each site to support grantees; using Planning & Implementation Guides to support grantees in systematic planning; tailoring assistance to the specific needs of the grant categories and cohorts of grantees (e.g., programs serving women, tribal nations) through the development of individualized TTA Plans; offering peer-to-peer learning opportunities; drawing on outside experts to enhance TTA; and development of resources and tools to support grantees reaching their goals.

CSGJC will focus on the following objectives:

Position C&P grantees to facilitate cross-system collaboration and increase access to MH treatment, recovery supports, and needed services for individuals with MHDs or MHSUDs.

Provide direct assistance and develop resources for the field to establish or enhance CJ-MH collaboration.

As a TTA provider for JMHCP, C&P, and other federal grantees, such as the Second Chance Act, we have deep experience in helping systems to improve outcomes for people with MHDs and MHSUDs. To supplement our expertise, we will continue partnerships with subject matter experts (SME) under Year 1 of the award to further enhance the TTA provided to the grantees and resources for the field

The Council of State Governments Justice Center (CSGJC) will provide Category 2 Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) to Connect and Protect (C&P) grantees and the field. Their goal is to position law enforcement and their behavioral health (BH) and social service partners to better respond to crisis through TTA to grantees and fieldwide resources.

CSGJC’s will provide TTA to C&P grantees that is designed to ensure that they implement a system-wide, coordinated approach with accurate screening and assessment procedures, evidence-based practices (EBPs) that improve health outcomes and recidivism rates for people with mental health disorders (MHDs) and co-occurring substance use disorders (MHSUDs), effective data-collection and program evaluation, and the development of sustainability plans. With their partners, they will work with law enforcement agencies, first responders, BH treatment experts, courts, and community-based services, to educate and facilitate grantee goals and objectives toward improving and enhancing collaborations at Intercepts 0 and 1.

Building on their success as the lead TTA provider for JMHCP since 2006, CSGJC’s TTA approach will include: TTA aligned with EBPs; a TA Coach for each site to support grantees; Planning & Implementation Guides to support grantees in systematic planning; tailored assistance to address the grantees’ specific needs and goals through the development of individualized TTA Plans; peer-to-peer learning opportunities; drawing on outside experts to enhance TTA; and development of resources and tools to support grantees reaching their goals.

CSGJC will focus on the following objectives: position C&P grantees to collaborate across systems and increase access to treatment, recovery supports, and needed services for individuals with MHDs or MHSUDs; provide direct assistance and develop resources for the field to establish or enhance CJ-BH collaboration; and work proactively and collaboratively with BJA to ensure that activities and products continually meet the needs of the field.

CSGJC will support the field through targeted initiatives, such as: 988: A Shared Opportunity; improving call triage and coding calls for service; updating the Police-Mental Health Collaboration Toolkit; promoting strategies for crisis response aligned with the Americans with Disabilities Act; and elevating diverse strategies for crisis response (e.g., Community Responder Programs, crisis receiving centers).

To supplement their expertise, CSGJC will continue partnerships with subject matter experts (SME) under Years 1 and 2 of the award to further enhance the TTA provided to the grantees and resources for the field.