Stepping Up: Collaborative Approaches to Implementing and Utilizing Behavioral Health Screening and Assessment in Jails to Impact Systems Change

Description: In this session, an overview of the Stepping Up framework will provide a foundation from which communities can develop collaborative approaches to reducing the incarceration of people with serious behavioral health needs. Lessons learned from Stepping Up counties will highlight best practices for the implementation of validated screening and assessment tools in jails and how to leverage these tools to improve jail management, coordinate individualized case planning and collaboratively develop cross-system responses to improve outcomes for people with behavioral health needs as they reenter the community. Key considerations and successful strategies for navigating challenges associated with screening, assessment, and cross-system collaboration will also be reviewed. Finally, the positive outcomes and implications that can be realized by individuals, partner organizations, and the broader community when this cross-system framework and validated tools are implemented will be discussed.