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Providing Mental Health Training to State Juvenile Justice Systems

Award Information

Award #
2011-JF-FX-0007
Location
Congressional District
Status
Closed
Funding First Awarded
2011
Total funding (to date)
$250,000

Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2011, $100,000)

OJJDP's Demonstration Programs Division Grants were established to provide grants, cooperative agreements, and other assistance to organizations. This program is authorized by the Department of Defense and Full-Year Continuing Appropriations Act, 2011, Pub. L. 112-110.

The National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice (NCMHJJ), located at Policy Research Associates, Inc., is proposing to implement a new specialized training curriculum - the Mental Health Training Curriculum for Juvenile Justice (MHTC-JJ) - developed and tested by the Models for Change Mental Health/Juvenile Justice Action Network through support from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The curriculum was developed in response to the prevalence of youth in contact with the juvenile justice system who experience mental health disorders, some youth significantly impaired. The training targets juvenile justice staff who supervise youth in juvenile detention and correctional facilities, many of whom have received little formal adolescent mental health training and lack the skills to effectively respond to these youth. The MHTC-JJ is an eight hour training focused on adolescent development, mental health disorders and treatment, the important role of families, and practical strategies for engaging and interacting with youth. NCMHJJ will train juvenile detention center and correctional facility trainers in 10 competitively selected states on the MHTC-JJ. A train the trainer approach will be used and the NCMHJJ will examine whether the sessions successfully prepared trainers to administer the MHTC-JJ as well as if the training improved staff responses to youth.

NCA/NCF

Date Created: September 18, 2011