The Texas Behavioral Health and Justice Webinar Series is a bimonthly learning opportunity for behavioral health and justice stakeholders to come together to learn about critical topics affecting their communities.
Enhancing Substance Use Treatment and Recovery Supports for People with Justice Involvement
New Resources to Support Competency Restoration Decision-Making
Resources to Support County Behavioral Health and Justice Strategic Planning
Innovation Across Texas Behavioral Health and Juvenile Justice Systems
Resources to Support Diversion Center Planning and Implementation
Diversion Opportunities and Considerations Across Texas
Led by Ashleigh Walton, director of Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) Forensic and Jail Diversion Services, the webinar discusses how the term “diversion” is used, and what mental health-focused diversion programs and tools are available in Texas. This webinar also presents other resources to support successful short- and long-term outcomes for people who have interacted with the criminal justice system.
Enhancing Substance Use Treatment and Recovery Supports for People with Justice Involvement
Behavioral health, court and corrections stakeholders have critical roles in connecting people with substance use disorders (SUD) and mental illnesses to treatment and recovery supports in jails and the community.
Representatives from the judiciary and the HHSC Office of Forensic Coordination, Texas Targeted Opioid Response, and the Peer Support and Recovery units share information on program supports for people with behavioral health needs who have interacted with the criminal justice system before, during and after incarceration. Viewers will hear from people who have experienced the criminal justice system to learn more about considerations for enhancing recovery supports.
Continuing Education (CE) and Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) credits are offered.
New Resources to Reduce and Prevent Juvenile Justice System Involvement for Youth with Behavioral Health Needs
The return to school marks the unofficial end of summer and a shift back to a predictable routine and structure that can benefit young people, especially those with behavioral health needs and trauma exposure.
The Office of Forensic Coordination, in collaboration with the Texas Institute for Excellence in Mental Health, offers new resources to support professionals working with youth in schools, communities, and behavioral health and juvenile justice systems.
New resources include a literature review of evidence-based practices across the Texas Youth Sequential Intercept Model, a statewide survey of programs serving youth with behavioral health needs who are at risk or involved in the juvenile justice system, and innovative program spotlights from across Texas.
New Resources to Support Competency Restoration Decision-Making
The competency restoration system involves multiple stakeholders with different perspectives on how to best balance the needs and safety of people found incompetent to stand trial, victims and communities. Although there is no one-size-fits-all approach, a variety of resources exist to support judges, prosecutors, defense counsel, and behavioral health clinicians in developing systems tailored to local circumstances.
This webinar provides an overview of legal processes related to competency restoration, information on new technical assistance resources developed by HHSC, and input from local competency restoration providers on innovative programs that support access to treatment, enhance local coordination and collaboration, and promote public safety.
Resources to Support County Behavioral Health and Justice Strategic Planning
Co-hosted by the Texas Behavioral Health and Justice Technical Assistance Center and the Texas Veterans Commission Veterans Mental Health Department, this webinar shares new resources to support county-level behavioral health and justice system planning.
Webinar presents:
New resources to support behavioral health and justice systems planning for adults, youth and veterans.
New funding opportunities to support implementation of Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) mapping workshop action plans.
Best practices for planning a SIM mapping workshop and implementing SIM mapping workshop action plans.
The application process for 2024 Fall/Winter SIM mapping workshops.
Tips for Applying for Federal Funding
The webinar discusses the federal grant application process. Experts with federal tenure provide guidance on how to submit a well-organized and competitive application.
Innovation Across Texas Behavioral Health and Juvenile Justice Systems
This webinar focuses on behavioral health and the juvenile justice system. Speakers discuss the juvenile justice system and opportunities to connect youth to community-based care.
This webinar seeks to support participants in:
Better understanding challenges at the intersection of behavioral health and the juvenile justice system, including key population trends.
Mapping out how youth encounter and moving through the juvenile justice system using the Texas Youth Sequential Intercept Model and the Texas Family Code.
Learning about promising practices to support early identification, crisis intervention, and diversion to treatment for youth with mental illness, substance use disorders and intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Learning how to access state resources to support this population, including youth SIM mapping workshops, tailored trainings and learning collaboratives.
Resources to Support Diversion Center Planning and Implementation
This webinar focuses on resources that support diversion center planning and implementation. This two-hour training provides participants with an overview of diversion centers, sharing best practices from rural and urban counties across Texas and other states. Topics discussed include diversion center service array, partner engagement, access and eligibility, funding and sustainability, operations and more.
Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI): Best Practices for Outpatient Coordination, Collaboration and Reporting
This HHSC-hosted webinar focuses on best practices for local mental health authorities (LMHAs), local behavioral health authorities (LBHAs) and their partners for coordinating, communicating and completing reporting requirements related to individuals found not guilty by reason of insanity in the community.
This two-hour training provides an overview of the NGRI process, highlighting best practices from counties across Texas, including:
An overview of NGRI in Texas with state trends and resources.
A review of the Code of Criminal Procedure, Chapter 46C, process.
Clinical perspectives on identifying people appropriate for outpatient care and supporting them in the community.
A review of state reporting requirements.
An overview of best practices for planning, communication and coordination across state hospitals, LMHAs, LBHAs, the courts and community supervision officers.
Outpatient Management Plans: Creating a Statewide Approach for Successful Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity (NGRI) Transitions to Community Living
This HHSC-hosted webinar provides information on the new, simplified and standardized outpatient management plan that will be used throughout the state hospital system.
Additionally, this webinar:
Elaborates on roles and responsibilities of state hospital social workers, LMHA staff and other stakeholders.
Details the step-by-step process for building an outpatient management plan in collaboration with stakeholders.
Identifies the required documentation for recommendations for continued hospital commitment and outpatient commitment.