Document Type
Article
Publication Date
2-2021
Abstract
There are a significant proportion of youth with mental and behavioral health issues, often undiagnosed or untreated, that may contribute to problems at school, home, and within the community. Families and others may not know how to best handle the crisis and often turn to law enforcement or emergency departments to assist; however, this can lead to unintended negative outcomes for youth. To best address crises, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) states that communities should have a well-developed continuum of crisis services. Crisis services are “no-wrong-door” safety net services that are available for “anyone, anywhere and anytime” (SAMSHA, 2020, p. 8). If interested in learning more about best practices in a crisis continuum of care, we suggest the reader obtain The National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis Care – A Best Practice Toolkit (SAMSHA, 2020), which provides guidelines for implementation and evaluation of crisis services. Crisis response programs are one cog in a continuum of crisis services. In Nebraska, most crisis response services are currently provided by Nebraska Systems of Care through the Regions (with the exception of Region 6). Some services, however, are supported with funds from the Nebraska Community-based Juvenile Services Aid program (CBA). While the focus of the current report are CBA-funded programs in counties that are located in Region 6, we also describe evidence-based models utilized nationally (i.e., Crisis Intervention Teams; Mobile Crisis Services). Currently, only two crisis response programs are funded by CBA; however, this may increase if the Systems of Care SAMSHA grant awarded to the state is not renewed. Overall, the crisis response programs that are the subject of this report are effectively working with law enforcement, keeping youth in crisis in the community and not detention/hospitals, and establishing crisis plans with youth to reduce the risk of crisis in the future.
Recommended Citation
Wylie, Lindsey; Hobbs, Anne M.; and Juvenile Justice Institute, University of Nebraska at Omaha, "Crisis Response Programs FY 2015-2020" (2021). Reports. 32.
https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jjireports/32