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The
State CRCG Office is conducting a comprehensive needs assessment of CRCGs
across Texas and we need your help!
We are partnering with the Texas System of Care
Initiative and Texas Institute for Excellence in Mental Health to gather
information about community collaboration and engagement through the CRCG
process. Information is being gathered through an online survey which is open
to all CRCG partners.
The survey will take approximately 10-15 minutes.
All data will be kept confidential and will not be linked to a particular
individual or agency. Additional details
are provided in the survey's introduction.
Thank you to all who have taken the survey! We
appreciate your participation. If you
have not taken the survey, there is still time! You may take the survey through
September 8, 2015. We encourage all
CRCG members to share their insights about the CRCG process so that we can
better target our support to local CRCGs.
The survey
is available at: https://utexas.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_6ROul5b9PnPAE17.
The State CRCG Office welcomes the opportunity to engage
and visit with local CRCG partners. Local
meetings increase our awareness of community strengths, which improves our
ability to provide effective technical assistance. In recent months staff from
the State CRCG Office have benefited greatly from observing and meeting with
CRCG representatives in El Paso, Corpus Christi, the Rio Grande Valley and from
surrounding counties. Additionally, the State
CRCG Office visited CRCGs from the following counties over the past year:
- Hunt
- Denton
- Tarrant
- Dallas
- Van Zandt
- Rains
- Travis
- Hays
- Travis
- Taylor
- Callahan
- McCullough
- Brown
- Knox
- Baylor
- Stonewall
- Haskell
- Throckmorton
- Williamson
- Kaufman
- Bexar
Thank you for sharing
of your time, experiences, best practices, and challenges. We have learned so
much during these site visits and look forward to visiting with the remaining
counties in the future.
Local CRCGs have
established partnerships with agencies throughout Texas. This quarter we
highlight Waco Center for Youth
(WCY) and its efforts to facilitate smooth transitions to and from the facility
through the CRCG case planning process.
WCY serves youth from all
over Texas between the ages of 13 and 17 with a mental health diagnosis. WCY
does not provide treatment for youth who have an IQ under 70 or those with an
intellectual or developmental disability.
CRCGs serve a critical role
in the application process for WCY. Applications for WCY are available through
the local mental health authorities (LHMAs).
If a youth is not under the managing conservatorship of the Texas
Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) and is receiving services
through a LHMA, a CRCG or a state mental health facility must endorse a youth's
referral to WCY to qualify for admission.
In addition to being an
integral part of a youth's admission to WCY, CRCGs also have the opportunity to
collaborate with WCY personnel to facilitate a youth's return to the
community. WCY has an Aftercare Program
that focuses on assisting youth during this transition. Janice Kelley, the Aftercare Program
Coordinator, and Monica Lucas, the Aftercare Program Manager, reach out to
local CRCGs to inform them of a youth's upcoming discharge, in order to
establish links to community resources that could benefit the youth's
transition. This proactive approach enables WCY, CRCGs, families, and
individuals to maximize opportunities for support during and after the
transition period.
Many CRCGs have worked with
Janice and Monica to ensure a smooth transition home. Bexar County CRCG reports
that this partnership is helpful in ensuring the family and community know what
to expect and how to support youth returning home. If you have questions about
this process you can reach Janice and Monica via email at Janice.Kelly@dshs.state.tx.us
and Monica.Lucas@dshs.state.tx.us.
Send your collaborative success stories to be
highlighted in the coming newsletters to the CRCG
Email Box.
CRCG Bridge Call Series
The State CRCG Office offers a monthly bridge call
series for local CRCG chairs and members to share ideas, discuss challenges,
and network. Bridge calls are held every fourth Tuesday of the month and
alternate between morning and afternoon times.
Each call focuses on a particular topic relevant to local CRCGs. To
participate, use the conference call information, below:
- Dial in number: (877) 226-9790
- Access code: 7541054
Upcoming Bridge Call Schedule
- Tuesday,
September 22, 2015 from 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM CST / 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM MDT
- Tuesday,
October 27, 2015 from 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM CST / 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM MDT
- Tuesday,
November 24, 2015 from 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM CST / 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM MDT
-
Tuesday,
December 22, 2015 from 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM CST / 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM MDT
Mark your calendars for the upcoming bridge calls
and join us for collaborative discussion!
CRCG
Webinar Series
The State CRCG Office hosts
a bimonthly webinar to provide information on resources, programs, and
techniques to support CRCG initiatives.
Our next webinar topic is
on CRCGs and Non-Educational Funds. In
collaboration with our state agency partner, the Texas Education Agency (TEA),
we will host the webinar on September 29, 2015.
Panelists will include a
TEA representative, an Education Service Center representative, and a local
CRCG chair. They will discuss the process to access non-educational funds, allowable
services, and best practices at the local level to ensure that the use of these
funds is maximized.
Join us Tuesday, September 29, 2015, from 2-3pm CST for this great
discussion. Register for the webinar using the link below:
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5150992442291073794
Previous webinar recordings are available through the links on
the left side bar.
CRCG
Conference Opportunities
Partners
in Prevention Conference
October 1-2, 2015,
Houston, Texas
The Partners in Prevention
(PIP) Conference will be held in Houston from October 1-2, 2015 at the Sonesta
Hotel. State and national prevention experts will provide training on child
abuse prevention, early childhood development, family violence awareness, home
visiting, juvenile justice delinquency prevention, mental health promotion, and
substance abuse prevention. Fedora Galasso from the State CRCG Office will lead
a workshop on collaboration through the CRCG process on Friday, October 2, 2015
from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm CST. We hope to see representatives from local CRCGs
and encourage their participation.
CLICK
HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION OR TO REGISTER
11th
Annual Strengthening Youth and Families Conference
October
13-16, 2015, San Marcos, Texas
The State CRCG Office will
lead two pre-conference workshops at the Strengthening Youth and Families Conference
on Tuesday, October 13th from 1:30 pm to 5:00 pm and Wednesday,
October 14th from 9:00 am to noon (CST). The workshops are for
CRCG leadership and members and will focus on key areas of the CRCG planning
process including: facilitation, leadership, participation and membership, and
identification of resources. These will be highly interactive workshops where
you will be able to learn from your peers!
REGISTER NOW AT THIS LINK!
Or at: https://www.cvent.com/events/11th-annual-strengthening-youth-families-conference/registration-ce06e79352c14a339ac7f7189457d2e0.aspx
In this section we highlight agency updates from our CRCG
partners to hear about opportunities, new resources, and policy changes.
Department of Aging and
Disability Services (DADS)
DADS is offering 2-day Person Centered
Thinking (PCT) training to all DADS employees and contractors who coordinate or
provide direct services, or help with referrals for long-term services. Guardians, service coordinators, qualified
intellectual disability professionals, and aging and disability resource center
staff may especially benefit from this training. Each training is limited to 20 people and
generally run from 9:00 am - 4:00 pm.
For registration or questions, contact the following DADS
representative:
2015 PCT Training Schedule
- September 14-15 — Austin
- October 26-27 — San Antonio
- October 28-29 — Austin
- November 17-18 — Abilene
- November 19-20 — Brenham
- November 9-10 — Lubbock
- December 2-3 — San Antonio
- December 8-9 — Mexia
- December 14-15 — San Angelo
- December 7-8 — Sugarland
- December 2-3 — El Paso
Department of Family and
Protective Services (DFPS)
S.B. 206, 84th
Legislative Session, 2015, requires changes in functions and procedures for
DFPS that will be implemented over the next 2 years. DFPS will remain a
stand-alone agency that includes Child Protective Services (CPS), the Adult
Protective Services (APS), In-Home Program and Statewide Intake. The Prevention
and Early Intervention (PEI) program will remain at DFPS, and will grow as HHSC
and DSHS transfer some prevention programs to DFPS. Child Care Licensing (CCL)
and the Adult Protective Services Facility Program will join a new regulatory
division at HHSC by 2017. Information and updates on these changes will
be shared as they happen over the next two years. For more information, contact your CRCG DFPS
representatives:
Department of State
Health Services (DSHS)
Since the fall of 2013, the
collaborative DSHS/DFPS Residential Treatment Center (RTC) Project has focused
on preventing parental relinquishment of custody to DFPS to obtain mental
health services. Initial funding for the RTC Project financed ten ongoing RTC
beds. Over the past year, an RTC waiting list of about 20 children has
been consistently maintained. Thanks to additional funding from the 84th
Texas Legislature, the RTC Project will expand to 30 RTC beds in FY2016.
If a child referred to a CRCG has an open Child Protective Services (CPS) case
and outpatient services have not been sufficient, it may be beneficial to
request that the CPS caseworker completes a referral (Form 2037) to the RTC
Project. For more information,
contact your CRCG DSHS representative:
Health and Human Services
Commission (HHSC)
The Interagency Task
Force for Children with Special Needs, supported by HHSC, launched a new
website called Navigate Life Texas. The website offers comprehensive, relevant,
and reliable information for families, professionals, advocates, and anyone who
works with children with special needs. Visit the website NavigateLifeTexas.org and share this resource with anyone
who may be interested! A Spanish version
of the site is at AvancemosJuntosTexas.org.
Texas Department of
Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA)
The
Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA) is implementing Youth
Count Texas! to count the number and needs of youth experiencing
homelessness and housing instability. Youth Count Texas! will work in
conjunction with the point-in-time count, which is an annual count of homeless
persons and individuals conducted each January. If you would like to volunteer
to help with Youth Count Texas! please go online at http://www.tdhca.state.tx.us/housing-center/youthcounttexas.htm
for more information. For more
information, contact the following CRCG TDHCA representative:
Texas Juvenile Justice
Department (TJJD)
With
passage of S.B. 1630, 84th Legislative Session, 2015, TJJD has begun
working on a plan to partner with Texas counties to continue to reduce the
number of youth who are committed to state facilities. To ensure
resources and placement options are available to Texas counties who defer youth
from state placement, TJJD, in partnership with probation departments, is
developing a regionalization plan based on the seven existing juvenile probation
chiefs’ associations. Each region’s needs are unique and will be
addressed individually. The Legislature provided funding to assist county
probation departments who identify youth eligible for diversion from the state system into local programs. For more information, contact the following
CRCG TJJD representatives:
Texas Workforce
Commission (TWC)
The
Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) welcomes Governor appointed Ruth Ruggero Hughs
to serve as TWC Commissioner Representing Employers. She brings a wealth of
knowledge from her previous roles in private practice of law and as Director of
Civil Defense Litigation, managing civil litigations in the office of the Texas
Attorney General.
In
addition, TWC has initiated the planning process of transitioning services
currently housed within the Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services
(DARS) to TWC effective September 1, 2016, as required by S.B. 200, 84th
Legislative Session, 2015. DARS and TWC will
conduct seven joint meetings across the state to take public comment on the
combined state plan for core workforce programs, as required by the Workforce
Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), and on the transfer of the Vocational
Rehabilitation (VR), Business Enterprises of Texas and the Independent Living
for Older Individuals who are Blind programs from DARS to TWC. Learn more about
these public meetings here: http://www.dars.state.tx.us/services/public-meetings.shtml
For
more information, contact the following CRCG TWC representative:
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