Juvenile Court Behavioral Health Services

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2009

A new comprehensive program to review the needs of the county’s dependent children and youth in foster care has been developed through collaboration between the Juvenile Court Judges, Department of Public Health, Department of Children’s Services, Probation Department, and the Department of Behavioral Health. Through this program, mental health needs and psychotropic medication services provided to the county’s dependents in foster care, including children in group homes and in Juvenile Detention Assessment Centers are reviewed by a multi-departmental team, which may initiate a more thorough review including the child’s need for services. “Juvenile Court Behavioral Health Services” is the enterprise of the program. It involves two phase, with Phase 1 referring to a medical review of psychotropic prescriptions written for foster care children or youth by a non-DBH physician; and Phase 2 entailing a formal and extensive review of the child’s youth care and medication.