Children's MH State & Community Consensus Planning Team

Children's Mental Health State and Community Consensus Planning Team

Introduction
Planning Team Information
Planning Team Meetings
More Information

Introduction

Virginia is currently undertaking an intensive effort to transform children’s services, with emphasis on creating a responsive community-based system of services and supports. Serving children in locations closer to where they live reduces transportation time and costs and will allow children and adolescents to be supported more effectively in the community with existing community resources.

The 2009 General Assembly directed DBHDS to examine the current and future role of the Commonwealth and private sector in providing acute psychiatric services for children and adolescents. The Children's Mental Health State and Community Consensus Planning Team will be tasked with this important work in ensuring there are ample options for children and adolescents to access quality support in a safe environment.

Planning Team Information

Membership – The planning team’s membership ensures representation of a full range of expertise and viewpoints. Members include:
- Facility staff
- CSB staff
- Family members
- Individuals served at CCCA
- Legislators
- Local government
- Private providers
- Advocates
Expanding the team membership – The planning team will add new members and will focus on direction given by the 2009 General Assembly (see below).

2009 General Assembly direction on the Planning Team (Item 315 #3c of the conference report):
The Commissioner of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services shall establish a state and community consensus and planning team for the purpose of developing a plan to examine the current and future role of the Commonwealth and private sector in providing acute psychiatric services for children and adolescents. The team shall consist of department staff and representatives of affected consumers, local government officials, advocates, state hospital employees, community services boards, behavioral health authorities, and public and private child and adolescent mental health service providers, and other interested persons, as determined by the Commissioner. In addition, members of the House of Delegates and the Senate representing the localities served by the hospital may serve on the state and community planning team. The state and community planning team, under the direction of the Commissioner, shall (i) identify the characteristics of the child and adolescent population currently served at the CCCA and SWVMHI, (ii) describe the service needs of the children served at each facility, (iii) determine what services are currently available, or would need to be available in the community, to adequately provide treatment for these children, (iv) consider alternate approaches to delivering services appropriate for some or all of the patient population, (v) define the state’s continuing role and responsibility in providing inpatient services for children and adolescents, (vi) identify funding trends and policies for providing public and private services, (vii) report on the cost of providing public and private psychiatric services, and (viii) detail other strategies to promote high quality, community-based care while maintaining a safety net for children and adolescent in need of acute psychiatric services. The Commissioner shall report to the Chairmen of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committee on the findings of the state and community planning team no later than November 1, 2009.)

Planning Team Meetings

The planning team meets monthly.
An important part of each meeting will be a public comment period to provide a valuable broader perspective on issues that the planning team will use to examine issues facing children’s mental health care in Virginia. Each member of the public interested in speaking will have up to three minutes to inform the team about factors they believe should be taken into consideration.
Meeting Agendas and Minutes
- Thursday, September 17, 2009 (Minutes)
- Monday, June 22, 2009 (Agenda)
- Thursday, May 14, 2009 (Agenda)
- Tuesday, February 24, 2009 (Agenda)
- Tuesday, February 3, 2009 (Agenda) (Minutes)

More Information

Click here to contact your local Community Services Board about existing or growing community resources for children and adolescents.

This page will be continuously updated with more information as further details are available.

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