Court Liaisons and Diversion Coordinators

Court Liaisons and Diversion Coordinators A. The primary objective of the CMHC Court Liaisons is the coordination of services for people with behavioral health needs who have come to the attention of the justice system through law enforcement, courts, and or/jail personnel. People within this system of care likely have complex mental health and/or substance use needs which may be unmet or poorly coordinated. Court Liaisons intervene early in the commitment process. The Court Liaison is part of an integrated person-centered team that works within local community systems to coordinate care for people experiencing behavioral health crises. B. Court Liaisons perform the following duties: 1. Pre-affidavit screenings and coordination with Chancery Courts and families before commitments to connect in a proactive manner people with community-based services. 2. Development of diversion, alternative sentencing, and post-release plans which consider best-fit treatment alternatives and court stipulations. 3. On-site outreach efforts to court defendants and individualized service needs assessments to inform the court, and people in need, of available treatment options. 4. Support and assist defendants navigating the courts system. 5. Coordinate documents and communications among law enforcement, attorneys, court officials, and other relevant parties. 6. Make referrals to Intensive Community Support Specialists and Certified Peer Support Specialists. 7. Provide mental health referrals and linkages to support services. 8. Coordinate with the MCERTs. 9. Participate in and/or consider developing with local law enforcement Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT) or other initiatives that assist law enforcement in engaging with people with behavioral health needs. 10. Collaborate with local partners in Mental Health Courts, Treatment Courts, Veterans Courts, or other specialty/diversion courts handling behavioral health issues. 11. Provide, coordinate, or announce trainings on the following topics to people in the CMHC’s catchment area to increase awareness about behavioral health issues: (a) Basic knowledge about mental health conditions and/or co-occurring disorders; (b) Civil commitment procedures; (c) CIT training for law enforcement; (d) Mental Health First Aid training; and (e) Suicide Prevention. 12. Attend monthly conference calls, webinars, and face-to-face meetings/training as requested by the Clinical Diversion Coordinator. 13. Maintain a current list of all key law enforcement and court contact information in the Court Liaison’s catchment area and provide the Clinical Diversion Coordinator with a current list upon request. C. Diversion Coordinators provide a thorough approach to the care of people with behavioral and mental health disorders. Their focus is on ensuring that every person is assisted in every step of their journey from intake to discharge. Diversion Coordinators work closely with the CMHC’s intake, assessment, and outpatient personnel, as well as a Community Support Specialist. Diversion Coordinators synchronize the efforts and synthesize the information of the above parties while also working with people, their families, and their providers. The Diversion Coordinator examines each person’s strengths, barriers to treatment, compliance with treatment options, and closely monitors the community-based service utilization of each person served.