AOT Court Coordinator-Assisted Outpatient Therapy

Job Description

Job Description

1. ORGANIZATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS

Position Title: AOT Court Coordinator

Position Number: Date: 9/1/26

Employee:

Work Unit: Multiple County: Dougherty, Terrell, Lee

Immediate Supervisor's Title:

List positions supervised through immediate contact:

Number: Title:

1. QUALIFICATIONS (including physical requirements)

Bachelor's degree in social work, psychology, criminal justice, human services, behavioral health, public administration, or a related field required. Master's degree and/or professional behavioral health licensure preferred.

Experience working within behavioral health, civil court, legal, social service, case management, or other multidisciplinary systems strongly preferred.

Must demonstrate knowledge of serious mental illness (SMI), civil commitment and Assisted Outpatient Treatment processes, behavioral health service systems, confidentiality requirements, person-centered and recovery-oriented practices, and effective coordination among courts, behavioral health providers, hospitals, community organizations, and other stakeholders.

Must possess strong organizational, communication, documentation, relationship-building, and problem-solving skills and demonstrate the ability to manage multiple court-related timelines, participant cases, hearings, orders, and program requirements simultaneously.

1. EQUIPMENT THAT REQUIRES SAFE AND EFFECTIVE USE:

NONE

1. BLOODBORNE PATHOGEN CATEGORY (check one)

____ Employee routinely performs tasks that involve exposure to blood or other potentially infectious material as part of their assigned duties (Category I).

____ Employee performs assigned tasks which does not involve exposure to blood or other potentially infectious material, BUT employment may require performing unplanned category I tasks (Category II).

__x__ Employee performs assigned tasks which involve no exposure to blood or other potentially infectious material AND performance of category I tasks are not a condition of employment (Category III).

1. MANDATORY TRAINING CATEGORY (Check One)

__x__ Administrative __x__ Direct Care ____ Medical

1. PERFORMANCE IMPROVEMENT

Aspire Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability's goal is to continually improve the delivery of service by improvement of individual outcomes and satisfaction. All employees have a role in performance improvement and are expected to interact collaboratively with co-workers and other contacts to provide consistent, high-quality, individually focused services.

G. SPECIAL NEEDS OF POPULATION SERVED

(Age Related, Cultural and Linguistic Competence)

The AOT Court Coordinator must demonstrate knowledge of and sensitivity to the complex needs of adults with serious mental illness who meet applicable legal criteria for Assisted Outpatient Treatment through the civil court system.

Individuals served may experience serious mental illness, co-occurring substance use disorders, histories of trauma, homelessness or housing instability, repeated psychiatric hospitalization or crisis utilization, difficulty engaging consistently in voluntary behavioral health treatment, and other barriers to successful community stability.

The Court Coordinator must demonstrate the ability to work respectfully and effectively with individuals and families from diverse cultural, socioeconomic, linguistic, and community backgrounds while promoting dignity, individual rights, recovery, patient preference and choice when appropriate, and the least restrictive appropriate approach to treatment.

Staff should be able to:

a. Serve as the designated Project Court Coordinator for the SAMHSA-funded Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) Program and maintain the Level of Effort required by the SAMHSA AOT award.

b. Serve as the primary operational liaison between Aspire BHDD's AOT Program and participating civil and probate courts, judges, court personnel, behavioral health providers, hospitals, attorneys, community partners, participants, and other entities involved in implementation of AOT.

c. Coordinate the civil court components of the AOT program in accordance with applicable Georgia statutes, SAMHSA requirements, Aspire BHDD policies and procedures, approved grant requirements, and established AOT protocols.

d. Coordinate AOT referrals and court processes from initial identification and referral through petition, hearing, issuance of the civil court order, monitoring, modification or renewal when applicable, and discharge or expiration of the order.

e. Facilitate communication among the court, AOT Project Director, AOT treatment team, referring entities, hospitals, behavioral health providers, attorneys, participants, family members when appropriate and legally permissible, and other involved parties.

f. Assist with screening and coordination of referrals to determine whether individuals appear to meet established AOT program and applicable statutory eligibility criteria and facilitate timely referral for appropriate clinical and legal review.

g. Coordinate with appropriate clinical staff to ensure required evaluations, assessments, treatment recommendations, supporting documentation, and other information necessary for the AOT civil court process are completed and available within required timeframes.

h. Maintain an organized tracking system for AOT referrals, petitions, hearings, civil court orders, court deadlines, order expiration dates, renewals, modifications, participant status, and other court-related milestones.

i. Coordinate scheduling and preparation for AOT civil court hearings and communicate hearing dates, required documentation, and other pertinent information to appropriate program and court personnel.

j. Attend AOT-related civil court hearings and other court proceedings as required and serve as a consistent program representative to facilitate communication between the court and the AOT treatment system.

k. Monitor the status of each participant's AOT civil court order and communicate relevant court requirements, changes, deadlines, and determinations to the AOT Project Director and appropriate members of the treatment team.

l. Work collaboratively with the AOT treatment team to identify and resolve barriers that may interfere with implementation of the treatment plan or civil court order.

m. Promptly communicate concerns regarding participant engagement, treatment access, changes in clinical or community circumstances, or other issues requiring review by the AOT Management Team, treatment team, Project Director, or court.

n. Facilitate appropriate communication with the civil court regarding participant progress and program status consistent with applicable law, court requirements, HIPAA, confidentiality standards, SAMHSA requirements, and Aspire BHDD policies and procedures.

o. Participate as an active member of the AOT Management Team and assist the team in coordinating program implementation, providing program oversight, ensuring adherence to applicable AOT laws and best practices, overseeing AOT civil court orders, and identifying and resolving court- or treatment-related barriers.

p. Assist in developing, implementing, reviewing, and annually updating AOT court protocols, referral procedures, workflows, forms, tracking mechanisms, communication processes, and other operational procedures necessary for effective implementation of the program.

q. Establish and maintain collaborative relationships with civil and probate courts, judges, court personnel, hospitals, behavioral health providers, community organizations, homeless-serving programs, crisis providers, first responders when appropriate, and other stakeholders involved in identifying and serving individuals who may meet AOT eligibility requirements.

r. Conduct education, outreach, and technical assistance with court personnel, behavioral health providers, hospitals, community organizations, and other referral partners regarding AOT eligibility, referral procedures, court processes, available treatment services, and program expectations.

s. Coordinate closely with AOT clinicians, care coordinators, peer support staff, treatment providers, and other members of the multidisciplinary team to support timely access to the community-based behavioral health services identified in each participant's individualized treatment plan.

t. Promote coordination of behavioral health treatment, medication management, substance use services, peer support, housing, benefits, employment, medical care, transportation, and other community supports necessary to promote participant stability and successful engagement in community-based treatment.

u. Maintain accurate, timely, and complete documentation of court coordination activities, referrals, hearings, court orders, participant contacts, stakeholder communications, and other required program activities.

v. Assist with collection, monitoring, verification, and reporting of required AOT program and participant data, including information related to referrals, court activity, enrollment, engagement, participant outcomes, and other SAMHSA-required performance measures.

w. Participate in Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) activities and assist the AOT Project Director and Management Team in identifying trends, service gaps, court-process barriers, referral challenges, and opportunities to improve AOT implementation and participant outcomes.

x. Assist with preparation for SAMHSA monitoring activities, site visits, audits, program reviews, grant reporting, and other compliance activities related to court coordination and AOT implementation.

y. Participate in AOT Management Team meetings, multidisciplinary case staffing, civil court meetings, community partner meetings, SAMHSA meetings as applicable, required trainings, quality improvement activities, and other program initiatives.

z. Promote person-centered, recovery-oriented, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and evidence-based approaches throughout the AOT process while supporting participant dignity, rights, safety, preference, and individualized treatment needs.

aa. Maintain appropriate confidentiality, professional boundaries, ethical standards, and compliance with HIPAA, applicable federal confidentiality requirements, Aspire BHDD policies, SAMHSA requirements, applicable Georgia statutes, civil court requirements, and other state and federal regulations.

bb. Perform other duties as assigned.

H. ASSIGNED DUTIES

DESCRIPTION OF WORK DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
(Type in or attach current description of duties. Employees are expected to perform their work in a competent and efficient manner. Include % of time.)

Duties Include:

The AOT Court Coordinator serves as the primary liaison between Aspire Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities' Assisted Outpatient Treatment Program and the civil court system. The position coordinates the court-related components of AOT and supports effective communication and collaboration among courts, treatment providers, hospitals, community partners, participants, and the multidisciplinary AOT team.

The Court Coordinator is responsible for coordinating referrals and civil court processes; tracking petitions, hearings, civil court orders, deadlines, modifications, renewals, and expirations; facilitating communication between the court and treatment system; attending AOT-related court proceedings as required; maintaining accurate court and program documentation; and assisting with the identification and resolution of court- and treatment-related barriers.

The Court Coordinator participates as a member of the AOT Management Team and works closely with the AOT Project Director and multidisciplinary treatment team to ensure that AOT services are implemented in accordance with applicable Georgia law, SAMHSA requirements, approved grant requirements, Aspire BHDD policies and procedures, and established program protocols.

The position assists with AOT program data collection, performance monitoring, Continuous Quality Improvement, grant reporting, stakeholder education, community outreach, compliance activities, and development and annual review of AOT protocols and procedures.

The Court Coordinator is expected to develop and maintain effective collaborative relationships with civil and probate courts, judges, court personnel, hospitals, behavioral health providers, community organizations, homeless-serving programs, crisis providers, and other stakeholders necessary for successful AOT implementation.

All duties must be performed in a competent, ethical, efficient, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, recovery-oriented, and person-centered manner that respects the rights and dignity of individuals receiving AOT services.

SAMHSA AOT Level of Effort: The Project Court Coordinator position will maintain no less than 0.25 FTE dedicated to the SAMHSA-funded AOT Program, consistent with the FY 2026 AOT NOFO and approved grant requirements.