Police-Mental Health Collaborations: Implementing Effective Law Enforcement Responses for People Who Have Mental Health Needs
The Project Coordinator’s Handbook
While there can be many partners involved in a police-mental health collaboration (PMHC), day-to-day operations are typically overseen by a project coordinator and the PMHC’s interagency workgroup. Together, these individuals work to set goals for the PMHC, collect and analyze data to establish a baseline and assess progress, and much more. But project coordinators need concrete direction on how to advance the PMHC’s objectives and ensure the collaboration continues to meet the community’s needs. This comprehensive handbook is designed to guide project coordinators through the process of planning, implementing, and continuously improving a PMHC. It is a follow-up to the Police-Mental Health Collaboration Framework and the Police-Mental Health Collaboration Self-Assessment Tool, providing concrete action steps that project coordinators can take throughout the PMHC’s planning and implementation stages.
Introduction
In many jurisdictions, the challenge of responding to people in mental health crises often falls on local law enforcement. Because of this, law enforcement agencies are creating partnerships, known as police-mental health collaborations (PMHCs), with mental health agencies to improve their responses and connect people to needed services. These partnerships also typically include substance use treatment providers since more than 18 percent of adults who have a mental illness also have a co-occurring substance use disorder.1
While there can be many partners involved in a PMHC, day-to-day operations are typically overseen by a project coordinator and the PMHC’s interagency workgroup. Together, these individuals work to set goals for the PMHC, collect and analyze data to establish a baseline and assess progress, and much more. But project coordinators need concrete direction on how to advance the PMHC’s objectives and ensure the collaboration continues to meet the community’s needs. This comprehensive handbook is designed to guide project coordinators through the process of planning, implementing, and continuously improving a PMHC. It provides concrete action steps that project coordinators can take throughout the PMHC’s planning and implementation stages.
This handbook is arranged by the six key questions presented in the PMHC framework (see Related Tools below). Each section, and its subsequent appendix, contains the following components:
An overview that describes the overall goals of each key question and summarizes the role of the project coordinator in achieving these goals;
Project coordinator activities that present concrete steps that they can take to advance the work of the PMHC and are tied to objectives rooted in the components of a successful PMHC (originally outlined in the framework); and
Sample exercises that project coordinators can easily use with the interagency workgroup to assess existing PMHC efforts and guide improvements.
Related Tools
Communities seeking to implement, assess, or improve law enforcement responses to people with mental health needs should also refer to the following tools for more information related to PMHCs.
Police-Mental Health Collaborations: A Framework for Implementing Effective Law Enforcement
Responses for People Who Have Mental Health Needs describes the essential elements of a comprehensive, agency-wide response to people who have mental health needs.
The Police-Mental Health Collaboration Toolkit serves as a clearinghouse for PMHC information and resources.
The Police-Mental Health Collaboration Self-Assessment Tool is designed to assist jurisdictions in evaluating the status of their current efforts to implement a PMHC. The tool helps jurisdictions assess their implementation progress according to the framework.
Sharing Behavioral Health Information: Tips and Strategies for Police-Mental Health Collaborations is a two-page tip sheet and complementary webpage that highlights tips and strategies jurisdictions can use to share behavioral health information safely and legally between the criminal justice and behavioral health systems to improve outcomes for people in their communities.
Question 1:
Is Our Leadership Committed?
Overview
Law enforcement and executives from mental health agencies and substance use treatment providers (also known as behavioral health executives) must be fully committed to the success of the PMHC and publicly indicate that responding to people with mental health needs is essential to their agencies’ missions. When leaders express their commitment to the PMHC, there is not only a trickle-down effect that often occurs with staff buy-in, but they also help to ensure that the PMHC becomes part of the fabric of everyday policing.
With support from the project coordinator and the interagency workgroup, these executives convey the importance of the PMHC and lead by example, cultivating buy-in from other stakeholder leaders, engaging elected officials, encouraging the development of new policies, and rewarding staff who support the PMHC’s goals. The project coordinator can help keep leaders abreast of the PMHC’s progress to maintain their understanding, commitment, and motivation to support PMHC efforts.
Project Coordinator Activities
Objective: PMHC leadership identifies one or more champions within the law enforcement agency who are committed to the success of the PMHC and can lead others to support or sustain efforts.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
In coordination with the interagency workgroup and law enforcement leaders, establish criteria for identifying effective law enforcement champion(s) to promote the work of the PMHC (e.g., interests, experience, values).
Help the law enforcement executive identify one or more law enforcement champions for the PMHC who can speak at internal police meetings and events, promote investments in the PMHC, and help gain staff buy-in across all levels.
Ensure these internal champions are represented in the planning, design, and implementation of the chosen response model(s).
Identify ongoing opportunities for the champion(s) to show support for the PMHC, especially when new staff are hired and leadership changes occur.
Objective: Law enforcement and behavioral health leaders engage other system leaders to support and promote the PMHC. They also engage community members to serve as public champions of the PMHC.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Create opportunities for law enforcement and behavioral health leadership to publicly demonstrate their commitment to the PMHC efforts, such as scheduling speaking engagements, identifying advocacy and treatment groups in the community, connecting executives with media partners, and keeping them abreast of townhalls or other opportunities to speak to the community about the PMHC.
Develop talking points about the overall progress and performance of the PMHC for law enforcement and behavioral health leadership to use during speaking engagements and other public-facing events.
Aid executives in identifying one or more community champions for the PMHC who can speak about it effectively in public. The project coordinator may also maintain regular contact with and manage the relationship with these champions to keep them apprised of all PMHC activities.
Objective: Establish an interagency workgroup that reflects the community’s demographics and includes a diverse range of perspectives including from community members and other systems leaders such as 988, crisis response, and housing.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Formalize the interagency workgroup and set a clear charge for the members. This may include establishing a vision, mission, or guiding principles for the group; communicating the group’s structure, hierarchy, or reporting relationships; and identifying preliminary areas of focus for subcommittees.
- Depending on how the workgroup is formed, the project coordinator may need to compare the makeup of the interagency workgroup to the community’s demographics to ensure it is reflective of the jurisdiction and includes people with lived experience in the criminal justice and behavioral health systems. The project coordinator may also have an opportunity to assess the community’s demographics and needs first and then invite people to join the workgroup to reflect both.
Conduct assessments of the workgroup to ensure that everyone involved has opportunities to meaningfully contribute.
Oversee day-to-day operations of the interagency workgroup, including meeting schedules and agendas.
Keep the interagency workgroup chairperson (appointed by law enforcement and behavioral health leaders) and workgroup members apprised of the overall performance of the PMHC via progress reports, case studies, and summaries of successes and challenges.
Craft meeting agendas that provide opportunities for all members to participate and create space for members to build rapport and network with each other.
Make recommendations for additional people to be invited to the workgroup when changes are needed, such as when workgroup members are unable to participate any longer or staff turnover happens.
Tip: Developing Subcommittees
Interagency workgroups may have a limited amount of time in which to get work done, especially during the planning stages of an initiative. Often, these workgroups may find it useful to create subcommittees or breakout groups to help accomplish discrete and specific tasks, utilizing the expertise and interest of individual group members and stakeholders. Subcommittees are typically organized around major initiative themes, or project areas, that involve a large number of steps and milestones. For a PMHC, this may include developing subcommittees on training, data collection, quality assurance and performance measurement, and policy and procedure building.
Objective: Establish clear mandates among the partners by developing at least one memorandum of understanding (MOU) between relevant law enforcement and behavioral health agencies that outlines each agency’s commitments (e.g., time, staff, financial support) and responsibilities.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Determine what MOUs are already in place, if any, between the law enforcement and behavioral health agencies, and assess whether they are sufficient to meet the needs of the interagency workgroup.
Identify whether additional MOUs are needed, and outline the specific actions or tasks partner agencies should commit to in new, or updates to existing, MOUs.
Help draft new, or update any existing, MOUs.
Objective: Designate funds to support PMHC efforts.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Generate and deliver PMHC performance reports to the interagency workgroup that address funding levels, and use those reports to make a case for increased funding when needed.
Track funds that leaders have already designated for PMHC efforts and make recommendations for new funding opportunities, as appropriate.
Objective: Recognize staff involved in PMHC efforts through internal and external mechanisms to help affect a cultural shift and encourage staff to seek out PMHC positions.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Facilitate ongoing discussions around ways to recognize officers, line-staff, and behavioral health staff involved in PMHC efforts both internally and externally.
Ensure officers and behavioral health staff have an opportunity to provide feedback on any recognition plans so that staff feel valued by them, allowing for refinements as feedback is provided.
In coordination with Communications professionals from the law enforcement and behavioral health agencies, develop talking points for leaders to publicly recognize staff who are helping to advance the work of the PMHC.
General Meeting Facilitation Tips
Some project coordinators will have experience leading stakeholder and workgroup meetings; but for others, this will be the first time overseeing these kinds of operations. Below are some universal facilitation tips for project coordinators of various experience levels:
Maintain neutrality as a facilitator and do not inject personal opinions into discussions. The project coordinator should establish ground rules during the first planning meetings and reiterate them at the start of each meeting.
Provide the group with PMHC data and research from other communities to inform decision-making processes.
Cultivate professional relationships with group members to elicit participation, comfort, and agreement. This includes meeting with stakeholders individually to discuss their questions, misconceptions, or any underlying reluctance or reservation to join the initiative or workgroup. Establishing personal contacts with members may also help the project coordinator manage challenging conversations that may arise in the future, but it should not give off the impression that any one person will receive favors because they have a relationship with the project coordinator.
Provide logistical support and structure to the interagency workgroup, including creating agendas, scheduling speakers and trainings, providing meeting notes and minutes, and following up on questions or action items from meetings.
Develop processes for the workgroup to make decisions and reach consensus (e.g., time allotments for discussions). It is important for meetings to function well, for all voices to be heard (including less vocal participants), and to manage members that tend to dominate conversations.
Take time to foster collaboration by conducting team-building exercises during initial planning meetings and at the start of each meeting and providing ongoing networking opportunities for members. During in-person meetings, the project coordinator should pay close attention to logistical details that can foster closer ties between members, such as providing name tags and cards, using mixed seating at tables and in groups, etc. Break-out rooms can be used during virtual meetings to increase collaboration.
Continually seek to improve the overall operation of the workgroup by regularly surveying members on satisfaction and performance. The results can inform future agendas, strengthen the overall participation of workgroup members, and help resolve issues participants may be experiencing.
Question 2:
Do We Have Clear Policies and Procedures to Respond to People Who Have Mental Health Needs?
Overview
Clearly written policies and procedures provide structure and guidance to officers involved in PMHC efforts and empower them to take appropriate action to enhance their safety and the safety of others. These policies and procedures are only effective when they are also disseminated, followed, and enforced.
The project coordinator is instrumental in helping law enforcement and behavioral health leadership and other partner agencies develop and regularly review policies and procedures that encompass the range of issues and scenarios that officers encounter. They can also recommend new policies and procedures where needed and work with leaders to incorporate these into day-to-day operations.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Objective: Conduct a comprehensive system-wide process review to see how people who have mental health needs currently flow through the criminal justice and behavioral health systems and the ways in which police officers interact with them. This review should also identify where gaps exist, where racial disparities may occur, and where improvements are needed.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Gather the relevant policies and procedures in place and, with input from the interagency workgroup and available research partners, identify any specific scenarios that are not covered by existing policies and procedures.
Lead the interagency workgroup in developing a process flow chart that illustrates police encounters and includes dispatchers, 911 operators, and 988 crisis counselors to have a clear understanding of how people who have mental health needs flow through the criminal justice, health, and crisis systems.
Develop a process for providing staff with this visual depiction of how people who have mental health needs flow through the criminal justice, health, and crisis systems.
Tip: Selecting a Response Model
Below are some of the response models that a PMHC can use to support its efforts to connect people to services instead of incarceration.
Crisis Intervention Team: The most common response model, Crisis Intervention Teams (CITs) are teams of officers who volunteer for specialized training that equips them with more tools for responding to people in crisis.
Co-responder Teams: This models pairs law enforcement officers with clinicians who respond to crisis calls for service together.
Case management: A proactive approach to linking people with behavioral health needs to services. Under this model, officers do not wait for a crisis call for service, instead engaging with people who have frequent calls for service and behavioral health professionals to make connections before a crisis occurs.
For more information on PMHC response models and to view examples, read the Police-Mental Health Collaborations framework or visit the national Law Enforcement-Mental Health Learning Site program.
Objective: Use the system-wide process review—and process flow chart that illustrates current practices—to select and then implement PMHC response model(s) that address the needs of the jurisdiction.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Research potential response models and reach out to other communities that have adopted them to learn advantages of each, challenges, and best practices.
Present recommendations to the interagency workgroup to help in the selection of at least one PMHC response model that addresses the needs of the jurisdiction.
Conduct periodic follow ups to monitor progress of the selected response model(s).
Objective: Develop clear and comprehensive policies and procedures that (1) align with the chosen response model(s), (2) outline all roles and responsibilities of staff and participating agencies, (3) are reflective of the behavioral health perspective, and (4) give staff clear directions.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Review any new policies or procedures to ensure they outline roles and responsibilities of staff and participating agencies, define frequently used terms, and give specific response guidelines for scenarios that officers and other PMHC staff frequently encounter.
Take inventory of any existing policies and procedures to determine when they need to be updated to reflect the PMHC mission and shared goals and response models selected.
Serve as the liaison between the law enforcement and the behavioral health partnering agencies and assist agency leaders in reviewing their own policies and procedures to ensure they address the needs of the people the response model will serve.
Objective: Develop information-sharing agreements between law enforcement and behavioral health partners to define what information can be shared during an encounter; provide these partners with access to appropriate and timely information needed to better connect people to services and supports.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Investigate which information-sharing agreements are in place and any limitations in what they cover, and make suggestions on new agreements and/or refinements to existing agreements.
Research agreement templates and make recommendations for new templates to be used if needed.
Assist legal counsel in drafting information-sharing agreements to ensure they are in line with best practices on sharing protected health information and any federal, state, and local statutes.
Objective: Circulate PMHC policies and procedures to all staff.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Review policies and procedures to determine if they are updated periodically, in coordination with supervisors and other staff at the partnering agencies.
Follow up with supervisors and staff to make sure they know where to access the most up-to-date policies and procedures.
Provide recommendations to law enforcement leadership for ways to circulate policies and procedures so that all staff are aware of them and notified when they are updated.
Ensure policies and procedures are shared with the public online, when possible, and that the community groups have had a chance to provide input on their development.
Objective: Evaluate PMHC staff performance regularly to ensure policies and procedures are being followed and meet the needs of the jurisdiction.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Convene members of the interagency workgroup and chairperson and any relevant external stakeholders (e.g., research partners) to determine how often reviews should be conducted.
Research opportunities and provide recommendations for surveying staff periodically to determine if they believe the policies and procedures are clear, useful as written, and easy to implement, if they have received adequate training for them, and where there is room for improvement or change.
Conduct focus groups, town halls, and other opportunities to receive feedback from community organizations and the public on how the PMHC is working and whether it is serving the community’s needs.
Use the exercises in Appendix B to help you assess which policies, procedures, and information-sharing agreements are currently in place to determine where gaps may exist and how the workgroup can help update the existing policies or create new ones.
Question 3:
Do We Provide Staff with Quality Mental Health and Stabilization Training?
Overview
Training for all PMHC staff is crucial to the response model’s operation and success. In particular, it better prepares officers to appropriately respond to people who have mental health needs and de-escalate crisis situations. The project coordinator can partner with the interagency workgroup to support the PMHC’s training efforts such as by researching proven practices in other jurisdictions, providing recommendations for a training manager, and helping identify training curricula and resources for both basic and advanced PMHC topics. In some instances, the project coordinator can also work with the training manager to develop a plan for assessing the effectiveness of the training curricula and identifying recommendations for improvements.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Objective: Provide all staff with culturally competent mental health and stabilization training curricula at the beginning of their tenure and throughout their career.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Work with the training manager (and sometimes the interagency workgroup in smaller communities) to assess curricula and determine if the appropriate basic skills are included for all staffing levels.
Research training curricula from different jurisdictions and provide recommendations to adapt or implement new curricula to the training manager and/or the interagency workgroup.
In some instances, review curricula to make sure it is augmented with experiential components and includes hands-on opportunities for officers and dispatchers to practice and hone their skills.
Objective: Provide advanced training consistent with staff roles, skill sets, and experience to help them refine certain skills and give jurisdictions the ability to cover more advanced content than can be included as part of a training academy for new recruits.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Review advanced training topics available for PMHC specialists, in consultation with the training manager, and ensure they are consistent with staff roles and expertise.
Investigate curricula other agencies use and share recommendations for adoption with the training manager and/or interagency workgroup.
Objective: Enlist an array of instructors, including law enforcement, behavioral health providers, people who have mental illnesses, family members, and other experts to teach coursework so that staff learn from varying perspectives and expand their knowledge and skills in a variety of areas.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Support the training manager in identifying and selecting new potential trainers and developing relationships with advocates, family members, and people who have mental health needs. These individuals should be qualified to be able to provide general instruction and offer their firsthand experience interacting with law enforcement officers, behavioral health providers, and dispatchers.
Support the training manager in developing in-house expertise to teach law enforcement or behavioral health topics. This may include researching and adopting train-the-trainer courses or identifying existing staff to support training needs.
Help the training manager identify any gaps in training instructors and provide recommendations for creative solutions, such as coordinating training with surrounding law enforcement agencies to share trainers and reduce overhead costs.
Objective: Evaluate staff trainings on a regular basis to assess their impact.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Assist the training manager in researching and developing training surveys and evaluation forms and convening focus groups. These methods of obtaining feedback will help to assess staff’s understanding of the training content and ability to employ tactics taught on an as needed basis, particularly in smaller jurisdictions.
Serve as the liaison between the training manager and the interagency workgroup, providing progress reports based on data collected and analyzed from the pre- and post-training surveys and evaluation forms. Note: this activity is only needed when the project coordinator is not the training manager and if the training manager is not part of the interagency workgroup.
Provide results from the evaluations and feedback from the interagency workgroup to the training manager so they can update the curricula based on the feedback provided.
Use the exercises in Appendix C to inventory your current training program. You can also use the exercises to track implementation progress on any new training curricula and assess the extent to which it is aligned with the PMHC’s goals.
Question 4:
Does the Community Have a Full Array of Mental Health Services and Supports for People Who Have Mental Health Needs?
Overview
Law enforcement can more effectively respond to people who have mental health needs when a full range of mental health and community services are available because they offer a broader range of disposition options. Better understanding of the service landscape, including the utilization of these services, also helps PMHCs pinpoint gaps and make the case for additional resources to increase capacity. By leading the effort to assess existing services in the community, including 988,2 the project coordinator can help law enforcement and behavioral health leaders identify gaps and begin to prioritize resources to build capacity in support of the PMHC’s goals.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Objective: Inventory existing behavioral health services and diversion programs to identify gaps and determine if there are eligibility restrictions.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Research service inventory or other mapping techniques (e.g., Sequential Intercept Mapping) the jurisdiction can use.
Lead (or assist a consultant in leading if funding is available) the interagency workgroup through service inventory/mapping. If an outside facilitator is used, the project coordinator can capture action items and help with necessary follow-up.
Coordinate with relevant partners and stakeholders to ensure they are included in the service inventory/ mapping process.
Develop plans to update the service inventory/map regularly to ensure it accurately reflects the community’s current resources.
Objective: Assess existing services and programs to see if they are meeting the jurisdiction’s needs and which services are in need of increased capacity to handle the number of people using them.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Identify and provide recommendations to the interagency workgroup of an individual or subcommittee to oversee the data collection efforts that match service inventory to utilization rates (as well as instances where law enforcement referred people for behavioral health treatment or services, but these services were unavailable).
Review data to identify which services need greater capacity, which are being under-utilized, and if there are disparities in access to these services.
In some jurisdictions, help facilitate the transfer of data from partner agencies and provide suggestions for improving utilization.
Objective: Prioritize making necessary services available to people who have mental health needs who come into contact with law enforcement.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Work with leadership from both behavioral health and law enforcement to create opportunities for behavioral health providers to train law enforcement officers on making the best-fit connections to treatment.
Develop talking points for the law enforcement executives and interagency workgroup chairperson about how much additional capacity or services are needed and utilization rates of these services.
Use the exercises in Appendix D to inventory your current behavioral health and community resources. You can also use the exercises to identify where there may be treatment and service gaps across systems, better understand what barriers to treatment may need to be addressed, and identify which partners are best positioned to help expand the capacity of treatment services in your jurisdiction.
Question 5:
Do We Collect and Analyze Data to Measure the PMHC Against the Four Key Outcomes?
Overview
Comprehensive data collection and analysis allows leaders to gauge the effectiveness of their selected response model(s) and provides concrete information to garner support from public officials and the community. Baseline data should be established early on so progress can be tracked and modifications made when necessary. In-depth data collection equips jurisdictions with the information needed to assess PMHC performance, identify high-need populations or locations, and tailor response model(s) to the types of calls for service the PMHC receives.
The project coordinator (either in consultation with a data collection specialist, or in some cases, as the data collection specialist themselves) helps to ensure that the appropriate data is gathered and reviewed regularly by the interagency workgroup. The project coordinator also plays an instrumental role in helping the interagency workgroup establish shared definitions for terminology such as “mental health calls for service,” “repeated encounters,” and “frequent arrests” in their community and in setting processes for reporting progress to leaders based on the outcome data.
Four Key Outcomes
The four key outcomes identified below help provide a picture of whether or not a PMHC is successful.
- Increased connection to resources
- Reduced repeat encounters with law enforcement
- Minimized arrests
- Reduced use of force in encounters with people who have mental health needs
For more information on how you can use these outcomes to measure success, read page 3 in Police-Mental Health Collaborations: A Framework for Implementing Effective Law Enforcement Responses for People Who Have Mental Health Needs.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Objective: Identify which data points should be collected and tracked that correspond to the four key outcomes and the number of mental health calls for service.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Work in tandem with the data specialist to establish data points that correspond to the four outcomes outlined in the framework.
Lead conversations with the interagency workgroup to establish a shared definition for mental health calls for service in their community and associated data points.
Objective: Establish baseline data to measure PMHC progress.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Work with a data specialist or subcommittee to collect baseline data on the number of mental health calls for service and the four key outcomes.
Work with PMHC partner agencies to expand data collection to capture any missing performance measures.
Objective: Develop policies and procedures to guide data collection and analysis, and circulate these to appropriate staff.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Develop processes, timelines, and workplans for the interagency workgroup to receive relevant data reports and analyses.
Help the interagency workgroup identify creative solutions for reducing costs and engaging experts when data staffing capacity is limited (e.g., recommending relationships with local universities that may be interested in helping collect and/or analyze data).
Objective: Develop a process for identifying people who are in mental health crisis and have repeat encounters with law enforcement and then connecting them to community-based resources.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Create a plan to discuss this population on a regular basis, comparing current data against baseline data to measure progress or trends.
Develop a timeline for reporting on connections to treatment, with input from behavioral health representatives, to ensure follow-up services are being provided.
Tip: Developing data-sharing agreements
Information sharing between agencies can be especially challenging; however, many jurisdictions have found creative ways to facilitate sharing information within their PMHC. For information-sharing strategies to be effective, PMHC partners must understand which partners are sharing what data, how the data will be utilized and accessed by partners, and how often the data will be shared. Clear expectations around these processes will help build collaboration and foster trust among partners. Sharing Behavioral Health Information: Tips and Strategies for Police-Mental Health Collaborations offers tips for improving data-sharing.
Objective: Appoint an individual or a subcommittee to oversee the collection and analyzation of PMHC data and distribute reports for review.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Identify and then recommend to the interagency workgroup a data specialist or people for a subcommittee who will oversee the collection and analysis of PMHC data. Note: in some instances, the project coordinator may chair this subcommittee or have the experience to take on the data specialist role.
Help the data specialist or subcommittee report the progress and outcome data to the interagency workgroup and other law enforcement and behavioral health leaders.
Objective: Develop a new, or adjust an existing, data management system to collect and track data.3
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Determine if there is a database or data management system in place.
Assist the subcommittee or data specialist in selecting a new database,4 if necessary, or customizing and adapting the existing one.
Identify IT staff who might be helpful in developing or adapting these systems (either internally or contracting externally).
Facilitate a process or work with the data subcommittee to facilitate a process for obtaining data from all PMHC partners.
Use the exercises in Appendix E to identify which types of data your PMHC collects and tracks, what mechanisms for data collection are in place, and what gaps need to be addressed in order to accurately measure the PMHC’s progress.
Question 6:
Do We Have a Formal and Ongoing Process for Reviewing and Improving Performance?
Overview
Regular data-driven assessment is critical to ensuring the PMHC achieves its goals so that response model improvements and decisions are based on data, rather than anecdotes. Data collection practices should be transparent to all agencies involved and results routinely shared with the public. This ensures all findings are delivered to stakeholders and executives involved to guarantee their buy-in, increase funding support, and ultimately help to produce long-term champions of the PMHC.
The project coordinator plays a critical role in developing processes to make sure progress information is shared with law enforcement and behavioral health executives about the PMHC’s impact. The project coordinator also ensures progress reports are developed with the goals of the PMHC in mind, carves out time for the interagency workgroup to identify areas that need improvement, and works with the interagency workgroup to develop solutions or response model adaptions based on the needs identified.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Objective: Regularly assess the PMHC’s performance on all four key outcomes to ensure the PMHC is having its desired impact.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Maintain a relationship with the data specialist or subcommittee to develop reports, match law enforcement and behavioral health data, and measure outcomes against the overall PMHC goals.
Develop a timeline for the data specialist or subcommittee to generate reports, identify who receives the reports, determine their design and format, and incorporate a process for external input from partners.
Objective: Use the interagency workgroup to regularly assess PMHC service capacity.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Carve out agenda time to discuss service capacity with the interagency workgroup.
Develop reports, whether formal or informal, ahead of interagency workgroup meetings to be shared with the group to facilitate discussions about performance review and service capacity.
Objective: Refine policies and procedures based on data analysis and program evaluation.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Regularly review the reports generated, and with the assistance of the data specialist or subcommittee, compare them to the PMHC performance goals to see if the PMHC is on pace to achieve its milestones.
Alert the interagency workgroup when current policies, practices, and procedures are inconsistent with the data findings, and make recommendations on response model adaptions or course corrections.
Objective: Develop a plan to scale and sustain PMHC response models and community services.
PROJECT COORDINATOR ACTIVITIES
Provide the interagency workgroup chairperson and law enforcement and behavioral health leaders with
data and results from the performance reviews to help make the case for additional investments and to secure long-term funding.
Present new interventions and field-based research to the interagency workgroup if the response model is not performing well or when adaptions are necessary.
Use performance reviews to keep track of underfunded areas that need further investment, services that are lacking or should be enhanced, and other community needs.
In partnership with the interagency workgroup chairperson, facilitate the interagency workgroup’s development of a sustainability plan and develop a timeline for re-assessing the financial health of the PMHC at least annually.
Tip: Developing Communication Protocols for External Partners and Leaders
Information about the PMHC’s progress should be shared with external groups to garner buy-in and additional support necessary to grow the program. When mechanisms are in place to receive community feedback and the workgroup is responsive, the initiative can truly reflect the public’s interests and needs. There are a number of ways the project coordinator can support the development of these protocols. One way is by creating a plan for when and where to share data and progress reports, with which community groups, and how often. This may include conducting focus groups, developing social media or web-based presences or pages, attending community events, or hosting open houses, coffee hours, or other law enforcement-led community wide forums and meetings. Another way is by investigating national media platforms and conferences at which to share successes and best practices when data and analysis show positive results.
Use the exercises in Appendix F to regularly assess the progress of your PMHC and identify key elements of your response model that are important to sustain long term and potential funding sources.
To use the exercises in the handbook, click the button below
Endnotes
1. National Institute on Drug Abuse, Comorbidity: Substance Use and Other Mental Disorders (Rockville: National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2018), https://nida.nih.gov/research-topics/trends-statistics/infographics/comorbidity-substance-use-other-mental-disorders.
2. Deirdra Assey, How to Use 988 to Respond to Behavioral Health Crisis Calls (New York: The Council of State Governments Justice Center, 2021), https://csgjusticecenter.org/publications/how-to-use-988-to-respond-to-behavioral-health-crisis-calls/
3. Stephanie Shaw, Robert May, and Elizabeth Fleming, Integrating Criminal Justice and Behavioral Health Data: Checklist for Building and Maintaining a Data Warehouse (New York: The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center, 2021), https://csgjusticecenter.org/publications/ integrating-criminal-justice-and-behavioral-health-data/.
4. Stephanie Shaw and Robert May, Selecting a Data Warehouse Vendor for Criminal Justice-Behavioral Health Partnerships (New York: CSG Justice Center, 2021), https://csgjusticecenter.org/publications/selecting-a-data-warehouse-vendor-for-criminal-justice-behavioral-health-partnerships/.
5. Deirdra Assey, Tips for Successfully Implementing a 911 Diversion Program (New York: The Council of State Governments Justice Center, 2021), https://csgjusticecenter.org/publications/tips-for-successfully-implementing-a-911-dispatch-diversion-program/.
6. “988: A Shared Opportunity for Criminal Justice and Behavioral Health Partners,” CSG Justice Center, accessed October 25, 2023, https://csgjusticecenter.org/projects/988-a-shared-opportunity/.
7. “Most or all-information” can include mental health, substance use, or other medical diagnoses; family member and treatment provider names and contact information; and other protected health information that can provide the officer insight into how to respond and resolve a mental health call for service.
This project was supported by Grant No. 2019-ZB-BX-K002 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
Project Credits
Writing: Cynthea Kimmelman-DeVries and Deirdra Assey, CSG Justice Center
Research: Cynthea Kimmelman-DeVries and Deirdra Assey, CSG Justice Center
Advising: Dr. Ayesha Delany-Brumsey, Sandra Jamet, Dr. Terence Lynn, Carleigh Sailon, Ernest Stevens, and Sarah Wurzburg, CSG Justice Center
Editing: Darby Baham, CSG Justice Center
Design: Michael Bierman
Web Development: Yewande Ojo, CSG Justice Center
Public Affairs: Aisha Jamil, CSG Justice Center
Suggested Citation: Cynthea Kimmelman-DeVries and Deirdra Assey, Police-Mental Health Collaborations: Implementing Effective Law Enforcement Responses for People Who Have Mental Health Needs—The Project Coordinator’s Handbook (New York: The Council of State Governments Justice Center, 2024).
About the author
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