New Resources:  Child and Youth Crisis Response Services

NACBH members who are advocating for state coverage of crisis response services and/or thinking about their place in your service array are encouraged to review two new resources:

National Guidelines for Child and Youth Behavioral Health Crisis Care:  SAMHSA called on an expert children’s crisis continuum panel to frame this guide to creating systems that both respond effectively to youth in crisis and prevent emotional and behavioral health needs from escalating to crisis.  Designed to inform the development of the 988 crisis system, it provides context specific to children and families, best practices, implementation strategies, and practical guidance.  Sections include core values and principles, core services, the value of connecting with systems of care and other key partners, particular issues for rural and frontier communities, and working with special populations such as very young children, transition-age youth and young adults, youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and LGBTQI+ youth.

A Safe Place to Be:  Crisis Stabilization Services and Other Supports for Children and Youth:  This is Paper No. 4 of 10 in the From Crisis to Care series produced by the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD).  Complementing SAMHSA’s guidelines, this brief looks more to the crisis stabilization end of the service array to ensure that children can access the services and supports needed to fully resolve a critical event.  It applies system of care values and principles across these key components of a stabilization service array:  care coordination, parent, infant, and early childhood supports, intensive in-home services, school, community, and office-based services, and offers population-specific resources.