WAKEFIELD — Executive Director Margie Daniels is pleased to share that the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth is sponsoring a hybrid, in-person and virtual, conference focused on collaboration between law enforcement and behavioral health partners.
WHEN:
Thursday, March 30; Registration from 8:15 to 8:45 a.m.; Conference from 8:45 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
WHERE:
Bristol Plymouth Regional Technical High School, 207 Hart St, Taunton, MA 02780.
WHO:
- Joseph Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Boston
- Joanne Barros, LMHC, Statewide Director of Jail/Arrest Diversion Initiatives, Massachusetts Department of Mental Health
- Brian Leblanc, Supervisory Special Agent, FBI Boston, Joint Terrorism Task Force
WHAT:
This conference will explore the collaboration across disciplines that is integral to the work of multidisciplinary teams involving law enforcement and behavioral health providers. There will be a focus on ways to work closely to address complex clinical needs, and mitigation of risks and threats will be stressed.
The conference will also examine the way that HIPAA and other information sharing guidelines may impact this work, without hindering it completely. Legislative changes, such as police reform, have shifted the information sharing process and brought renewed attention to partnerships between law enforcement and school-based behavioral health providers, especially as jail diversion programs proliferate around the Commonwealth.
“Jail diversion initiatives develop important multidisciplinary collaborations which successfully divert individuals from unnecessary emergency department placement or arrest, and into more appropriate systems of care,” said Joanne Barros, Statewide Director of Jail/Arrest Diversion Initiatives for the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health.
The conference will examine the historical context for both disciplines, their shared missions, professional guidelines, best practices, and current changes to the landscape of behavioral health crisis services in the Commonwealth.
“Police reform and our national mental health crisis have led to law enforcement and behavioral health providers working together more and more, and this conference will explore the dynamics of those relationships, the challenges faced, and best practices for individuals from both disciplines,” said Director Daniels. “This is an important topic on a growing area of multidisciplinary collaboration, and we are excited to be sponsoring it.”
About the Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc.
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc. is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides training, fosters collaboration and develops programming to increase the health and safety of students. MPY is committed to bringing cutting-edge information and high-quality trainings to constituents and endeavors to provide solution-oriented, community-based, multi-disciplinary approaches to reducing and ideally eliminating risky behaviors for youth.
Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth is governed by a Board of Directors made up of school superintendents, police and fire chiefs, and other community leaders who work closely with MPY staff to deliver this mission. To learn more, visit: https://massachusettspartnershipsforyouth.com/.