Department: Juvenile Probation
Department Head/Elected Official: Henry Gonzales
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Position
Project ID (if applicable):
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable):
MWDBE Contracted Goal (if applicable):
MWDBE Current Participation (if applicable):
Justification for 0% MWDBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request for approval to utilize the existing earnings code 523 (Detention Mental Health) for Youth Development Officers/Direct Care Staff that work in the newly created Mental Health Unit in the Juvenile Detention Center.
end
Background and Discussion:
The Harris County Juvenile Probation Department (HCJPD) often works with youth that have significant mental health problems. In recent years, HCJPD had a contract with the Harris County Psychiatric Center (HCPC) to provide residential placement for youth needing the most psychiatric and psychological intervention. However, due to necessary budget cuts, the contract ended in October, 2023. These youth have been returned to HCJPD's detention center. In order to effectively meet the psychological needs of these youth, HCJPD will create a specialized mental health unit in the detention center. The program will provide a higher level of therapeutic support and resources to assist this more vulnerable population. To appropriately create a therapeutic culture in the unit, we are requesting specialized direct care staff. These staff will receive intense training in dialectical behavior techniques to more effectively deal with psychological and psychiatric crises. In addition, they will be required to run psycho-educational skills groups to assist the youth in learning coping and emotional regulation techniques. We are requesting the use of the earning code 523 (Detention Mental Health) as an incentive for the direct care staff assigned to the unit.
Expected Impact:
Youth with significant ...
Click here for full text