National Center

Facilitators: Elizabeth Manley, MSW, LSW, Senior Advisor for Health and Behavioral Health Policy, The Institute
Sheamekah Williams, MSW, Director of Children's Services & Interim Executive Director, Central Oklahoma Community Mental Health Center

This meeting introduces the importance of having a 24/7 call line customized for children, youth, young adults, and their families that responds to the youth or parent/caregiver’s sense of urgency and uses a developmentally appropriate screening tool. Creating a single point of access, as is intended with 988, streamlines the process and removes barriers to obtaining timely, necessary services and supports for children, youth, and families experiencing a mental health crisis. The single point of access for families seeking crisis services is explained with recent examples provided. This is followed by information and discussion on designing a children’s crisis system to support for families while reducing reliance on emergency departments, inpatient hospitalization, and residential facilities in favor of home- and community-based supports are explored.

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Facilitators: Elizabeth Manley, MSW, LSW, Senior Advisor for Health and Behavioral Health Policy, The Institute
Danielle Gasperini, LCSW, Division Director, Children's Services, CPC Behavioral Healthcare
Dante McKay, Director, Office of Children, Young Adults & Families, Behavioral Health Division                              Hazeline Pilgrim, MSW, Executive Director, Essex County (NJ) Family Support Organization 

This meeting provides an in-depth discussion of how an MRSS team interrupts crises—as defined by the parent/caregiver—and prevents further deterioration of clinical functioning by providing mobile response and initial stabilization services. This begins with a child specific assessment and crisis care plan development during the first  72 hours, followed by a description of how MRSS teams provide ongoing stabilization for up to eight (8) weeks. The single point of access for families seeking crisis services is explained with recent examples provided. The ways in which MRSS teams work with children and their families to resolve the crisis, identify potential triggers of future crises, develop and implement strategies to effectively de-escalate future crises, and avert and divert from more restrictive levels of care is fully explored.

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Facilitators: Elizabeth Manley, MSW, LSW, Senior Advisor for Health and Behavioral Health Policy, The Institute
Leslie Moorman, MSW, LCSW, Chief Executive Officer & Clinical Director, Cooperative Counseling Services, LLC
Tim Marshall, Director of Community Mental Health, Connecticut Department of Children & Families

This meeting discusses the need for MRSS teams to have the capacity to provide ongoing stabilization for up to eight (8) weeks. Central to the discussion is how children’s crisis services are not centered on transporting the child or youth to a crisis receiving and stabilization center; rather, the focus is on de-escalation and stabilization within the home and community. This is followed by a discussion of the importance of having a broad array of well-coordinated, accessible stabilization services and supports such as peer support and parent education; systems navigation support, including identification of formal and natural supports; referrals to psychiatric services for medication management; respite care; and care coordination with other child-serving systems, such as education and child welfare, as applicable.

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Facilitators: Elizabeth Manley, MSW, LSW, Senior Advisor for Health and Behavioral Health Policy, The Institute
Ellen B. Kagan, MSW, Assistant Professor, Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development
Bruce Kamradt, MSW, Retired Director of Wraparound Milwaukee                                                                        Hazeline Pilgrim, MSW, Executive Director, Essex County (NJ) Family Support Organization 

This meeting explores the role of a child-focused assessment tool in addressing current crises and identifying the interventions and supports that can prevent future crises. Beyond addressing crises, the role of MRSS, as an upstream intervention, is to respond to young people who are struggling and connect them with home- and community-based services and supports. MRSS strives to connect with professionals working in child- and family-serving systems to train them on the warning signs of behavioral health challenges.

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Facilitators: Elizabeth Manley, MSW, LSW, Senior Advisor for Health and Behavioral Health Policy, The Institute
Jeff Vanderploeg, PhD, President & CEO, Child Health and Development Institute (CHDI)                                      Hazeline Pilgrim, MSW, Executive Director, Essex County (NJ) Family Support Organization 

How do we know how well we are doing? This meeting outlines the importance of data collection and analysis to assess performance and identify gaps in service. The success of MRSS in serving the community is dependent on gathering the right data to understand how teams are delivering services, the short- and long-term outcomes of the children and families served, and for continuous quality improvement. The specifics of developing a quality improvement plan are discussed.

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Facilitators: Elizabeth Manley, MSW, LSW, Senior Advisor for Health and Behavioral Health Policy, The Institute
Suzanne Fields, MSW, Senior Advisor for Health Care Financing and Policy, The Institute
Melissa Schober, MPM, Lead Policy Analyst, The Institute                                                                                    Hazeline Pilgrim, MSW, Executive Director, Essex County (NJ) Family Support Organization 

This meeting provides an in-depth discussion of funding opportunities for implementing and sustaining MRSS including Medicaid, Family First Prevention Services Act funds, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Block Grants, System of Care Expansion and Sustainability Grants, blended and braided funding, commercial insurance mandates, and philanthropic support. Learn about the opportunities and challenges of various funding types. Learn which questions to ask in developing systems budgets, strategic planning, or financial mapping to promote the long-term sustainability of MRSS. 

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Facilitators: Elizabeth Manley, MSW, LSW, Senior Advisor for Health & Behavioral Health Policy, The Institute        Hazeline Pilgrim, MSW, Executive Director, Essex County (NJ) Family Support Organization                                        Asad Dahir, BS, Children's Mental Health-Community Services Manager, Hennepin County (MN) Human Services-Behavioral Health 

This meeting identifies community partners who are important to engage, educate, and train about MRSS including law enforcement, pediatricians and family care practitioners, child welfare, and the education system. It is important each child- and family-serving agency understanding how and when to use MRSS. While law enforcement is not a part of the response team in a child-serving crisis model, they and other community partners are an important part of the planning and implementation process to ensure that families are connected to MRSS.

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Facilitators: Elizabeth Manley, MSW, LSW, Senior Advisor for Health and Behavioral Health Policy, The Institute
Denise Davis, MHS, Senior Training & Consultation Specialist, Rutgers University
Rick Shepler, PhD, PCC-S, Director, Center for Innovative Practices at the Begun Center for Violence Prevention, Case Western Reserve                                                                                                                                            Hazeline Pilgrim, MSW, Executive Director, Essex County (NJ) Family Support Organization 

This meeting discusses developing a skilled workforce, inclusive of peer support, that can effectively and collaboratively engage children, youth, parents, and caregivers. A well-trained workforce can affect both immediate and long-term outcomes for children and families. The past two years have placed increased stress on the workforce and created or exacerbated burnout. Join this meeting to identify the ways you can support and care for your workforce.

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Facilitators: Elizabeth Manley, MSW, LSW, Senior Advisor for Health and Behavioral Health Policy, The Institute      Hazeline Pilgrim, MSW, Executive Director, Essex County (NJ) Family Support Organization 

This meeting explores the challenges to implementing MRSS in both rural and urban communities. Locating MRSS teams where they can reach families in a crisis is key to successful service implementation. Each community faces unique challenges—from negotiating traffic patterns to limited or costly Internet access. Addressing these logistical challenges requires MRSS teams develop operational plans that ensure families receive the services they need in a crisis. Participants are invited to share geographic challenges and discuss strategies for addressing them.

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Facilitators: Elizabeth Manley, MSW, LSW, Senior Advisor for Health and Behavioral Health Policy, The Institute
Christopher Bellonci, MD, FAACAP, Vice President for Policy and Practice/Chief Medical Officer, Judge Baker Children's Center                                                                                                                                                          Hazeline Pilgrim, MSW, Executive Director, Essex County (NJ) Family Support Organization 

This meeting explores how states can build resources and supports for pediatricians and primary care providers around the behavioral health needs of children, youth, and young adults. Not all behavioral health challenges require MRSS; building the knowledge of primary care providers on when and how to seek support and identify appropriate supports and services is discussed. Specific state examples are shared, including of the ways states have increased knowledge of child and adolescent behavioral health among pediatricians and created a pool of on-call psychiatric expertise.

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Facilitators: Elizabeth Manley, MSW, LSW, Senior Advisor for Health and Behavioral Health Policy, The Institute    Hazeline Pilgrim, MSW, Executive Director, Essex County (NJ) Family Support Organization 

This meeting explores the technology that states, localities, and/or providers should consider in implementing MRSS, including cost, accessibility, reliability, each of use (including for those disabilities), security, and HIPAA compliance. Examples of how to use technology as a support to the service array are provided, and include telehealth, teaming, and engaging child-serving system partners. Participants are invited to contribute their technology challenges and solutions.

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Facilitators: Elizabeth Manley, MSW, LSW, Senior Advisor for Health and Behavioral Health Policy, The Institute    Hazeline Pilgrim, MSW, Executive Director, Essex County (NJ) Family Support Organization 

The focus for this last meeting will be crafted from the feedback of the previous meetings. We are leaving this last session open to ensure we have space for discussion of your needs and questions.

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