Suffolk County Family Court Juvenile Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program

The Juvenile Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (JJMHCP) supports cross-system collaboration to improve responses and outcomes for youth with mental illness (MI) or co-occurring MI and substance abuse (CMISA) who come into contact with the juvenile justice system. This program supports public safety efforts through partnerships with juvenile justice, mental health and substance abuse agencies to enhance responses to justice-involved youth with MI and CMISA.

The Suffolk County Juvenile Treatment Court (SCJTC) seeks to enhance its current juvenile treatment court program in providing Multidimensional Family Therapy (MDFT) for youth who have co-occurring mental health challenges by partnering with Hope for Youth, Inc. MDFT is an evidence-based clinical model that helps youth sustain a meaningful productive life, mitigate further dependency on the human service system, and avoid further involvement in the juvenile or adult justice system. By providing these specialized services, the program will improve outcomes for both youth participants and their families. SCJTC and its partners will create a centralized program specifically designed for youth and their families challenged with co-occurring substance abuse and mental health disorders. Additionally, Suffolk County Probation will administer GAIN-SS assessments for all youth coming into the program. GAIN-SS is an evidence-based mental health screening to identify the need for additional mental health services. SCJTC anticipates providing comprehensive services within a multidisciplinary team of community partners for 30 youth challenged with co-occurring mental health disorders. CA/NCF