8028.1 Youth mobile crisis intervention providers are dispatched into a home or community setting where children or youth may be experiencing a behavioral health crisis to begin assessment and treatment. Providers shall administer acute behavioral health crisis stabilization and psychiatric assessments to children, youth, and their families as necessary. Services shall be provided in the community, schools, or other settings as necessary, while avoiding unnecessary law enforcement involvement, emergency room use, or hospitalizations.
8028.2 Providers shall engage children and youth in treatment, including screening for mental health and SUD service needs, developing rapport, and providing support, while assisting with immediate needs and providing referrals to appropriate resources, including longer-term mental health or SUD rehabilitative services. Providers shall assist with connections to treatment, care coordination, and other social services as required.
8028.3 Youth mobile crisis intervention provider teams shall be available on-call twenty- four (24) hours per day seven (7) days per week year round. The youth mobile crisis intervention provider shall be staffed with two (2) individuals per team at all times pursuant to§ 8028.15, one (1) of whom must be licensed. In the event services are needed to complete an FD-12, only one (1) DBH-certified officer-agent need participate. Youth mobile crisis intervention provider teams shall maintain sufficient resources and supports for communication and mobile capabilities. One (1) independently licensed practitioner must be available twenty- four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days per week. A psychiatrist shall be available by phone or for in-person assessment as needed and as clinically indicated.
8028.4 Youth mobile crisis intervention provider teams shall facilitate linkages to other social services, medical care, and any additional behavioral health services as needed. Youth mobile crisis provider teams shall assist families in enrolling children and youth in any other needed services in their community.
8028.5 Youth mobile crisis intervention provider teams shall offer services in a community setting, including the individual's home, on the streets, schools, residential facilities, hospitals, and nursing homes.
8028.6 Each provider shall establish and adhere to policies and procedures which govern the provision of services in natural settings ("Natural Settings Policy"), including the individual's home or community setting. The Natural Settings Policy shall require the provider to document how it respects individuals' and families' rights to privacy and confidentiality when services are provided in natural settings.
8028.7 An Officer Agent shall complete an FD-12 and follow all FD-12 protocol for individuals who appear to be in imminent danger of harming themselves or others due to mental illness.
8028.8 In addition to the provider and service requirements in this chapter, youth mobile crisis intervention providers are also responsible to:
(a) Provide and maintain a crisis hotline to receive crisis calls directly by a live person, twenty- four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days per week year-round;(b) Provide systematic response for crisis call intake, triage, and deployment determinations;(c) Provide and fully document phone support, crisis consultation, information sharing, and follow-up to all calls that are not deployed;(d) Maximize parent and caregiver in crisis intervention and any follow- up;(e) Respond to calls for District youth placed in foster care homes in Virginia and Maryland that are within a fifty (50) mile radius of the District;(f) Provide and document a follow-up contact, as clinically indicated, with the individual within 24 (twenty-four) hours of the initial call or deployment;(g) Provide population-appropriate approaches for evaluation and assessment of children and youth experiencing a behavioral health crisis;(h) Implement a standardized crisis assessment tool;(i) Provide specialized clinical training in Crisis Theory, Risk Assessment, and Intervention for staff; (j) Provide a minimum of two (2) Certified Peer Specialists;(k) Attend all trainings the Department determines are relevant to the nature and scope of service; (l) Minimize placement disruption;(m) Provide children, youth, and their families with education on conflict resolution, triggers, coping skills, and problem-solving techniques; (n) Develop a crisis, safety, and continuity of operations plan for deploying teams; (o) Ensure all team members participate in the Department's Officer Agent training; (p) Partner with mental health, substance use, and other community-based providers in the District; (q) Provide access to psychiatric consultation by phone or in-person as needed;(r) If the youth is enrolled with a CSA and/or CBI provider, notify the CSA and/or CBI provider within twenty four (24) hours of the initial call or deployment and collaborate with the CSA and/or CBI provider thereafter; and (s) If the youth is not currently enrolled with a CSA and/or CBI provider, facilitate enrollment with a new CSA and/or CBI provider and initiate further assessment and corresponding treatment as clinically appropriate. 8028.9 Youth mobile crisis intervention programs shall provide the following service:
(a)Mobile crisis interventions, subject to the following provisions: (i) Mobile crisis interventions that provide rapid response, assessment, and resolution of behavioral health crisis situations that involve children, youth, and their families. Services shall optimize clinical interventions by meeting individuals in home or community settings and reducing the risk of immediate danger to the individual or others. (ii) A mobile crisis intervention is a short-term, face-to-face, or telephonic service provided to individuals involved in an active behavioral health crisis and consists of any or all of the following activities: (A) Rapid response to evaluate and screen the presenting situation;(B) Therapeutic responses to de-escalate and stabilize the immediate behavioral health crisis;(C) Referrals for the individual's access to appropriate care;(D) Facilitate community tenure while the individual is waiting for a first visit with another provider;(E) Crisis support in schools;(F) Screening for eligibility and referral for SUD services;(G) Psychiatric consultation;(H) Development of a safety plan or crisis diversion plan;(I) Linkage to additional stabilization services; and(J) Assistance identifying natural supports and community supports during a crisis.8028.10 Youth mobile crisis provider teams shall provide consultation, information, and ongoing follow- up to ensure individuals are provided the supports that best meet their needs. For calls that do not require deployment, the youth mobile crisis provider team shall continue to monitor whether deployment is necessary to prevent further disruption or crisis.
8028.11 Youth mobile crisis provider teams shall provide clear information to the caller on deployment availability and status, including estimated time for deployment. Teams shall respond to the scene of a crisis within one (1) hour of the time of the call for sites within the District and up to one hour(1) and forty-five (45) minutes of calls outside of the District.
8028.12 For children and youth in CFSA custody, teams shall coordinate with the assigned CFSA social worker, including but not limited to youth in the following situations:
(a) Children and youth at risk of a placement disruption; and(b) Children and youth at risk of acute care hospitalization.8028.13 Qualified practitioners of youth mobile crisis outreach services in accordance with this chapter and with their scope of practice are:
(l) Psychology Associates;(n) Certified Peer Specialists;(o) Certified Recovery Coaches;(p) An individual with at least a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university in social work, counseling, psychology, or closely related field, and training or relevant experience in substance use or mental health; or (q) An individual with at least four (4) years of relevant, qualifying full-time- equivalent experience in behavioral health service delivery who demonstrates skills in developing positive and productive community relationships and the ability to negotiate complex service systems to obtain needed services and resources for individuals. 8028.14 Credentialed staff shall be permitted to provide youth mobile crisis services under the supervision of an independently licensed practitioner.
D.C. Mun. Regs. r. 22-A8028
Final Rulemaking published at 68 DCR 1623 (2/5/2021)