Forensic BH Navigator

Forensic Behavioral Health Navigator

The Forensic Behavioral Health Navigator provides navigation support to the Philadelphia Police Department's Behavioral Health Unit (BHU). The BHU is comprised of two programs, Crisis Intervention Response Team (CIRT) and Police Assisted Diversion (PAD).

The Navigator position is additionally responsible for training the Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disabilities (DBHIDS) Behavioral Health and Justice Division (BHJD) staff, as well as criminal justice partners across Philadelphia. External training will target staff from the First Judicial District (FJD), Philadelphia Police Department's (PPD) Behavioral Health Unit (BHU), Adult Probation and Parole (APPD), and other forensic partners.

The Navigator will work to 1) Provide clinical support to BHU team members; 2) Assist with assessing individuals to determine the least restrictive level of behavioral health care they need; 3) Coordinate Training for BHJD, BHU, FJD, and or APPD.

General Duties

• Learn and observe all standard operating procedures developed for the Behavioral Health Unit, BHJD, and DBHIDS that pertain to Navigation work
• Participate in Navigator training, development, and team building
• Achieve and maintain Key Performance Indicators identified by BHJD's Continuous Quality Improvement framework
• Maintain a working knowledge of the Sequential Intercept Model and behavioral health treatment
• Enter and maintain clinical and program data in appropriate databases
• Maintain accurate, confidential records to document services provided using appropriate databases
• Attend the annual CIRT conference.

Behavioral Health Unit

• Support the identification of individuals who could potentially qualify for diversion from the competency restoration track
• Perform behavioral health and criminal history reviews, screenings, and assessments to determine an individual's treatment needs
• Facilitate connection to behavioral health treatment and support services
• Assist with referrals to case management
• Re-link individuals with pre-existing services and support
• Offer technical assistance and navigation support to the following programs: CIRT program.
• PAD program.
• 9-1-1 Triage initiative.
• Work closely with the 911 Crisis Navigation Manager on the triaging of 911 Crisis calls with behavioral health needs.
• Support 911 Radio room staff, CIRT Teams, and Philadelphia Police by facilitating connections to services/supports and providing solution-based consultation.
• Activate maximum benefits (e.g., Medicaid, SSI) for individuals to obtain needed services and support.
• Participate in court dates as needed. Training
• Complete train-the-trainer courses and/or become certified to facilitate training offered by BHJD to criminal justice partners.
• Conduct in-person and virtual (including hybrid) behavioral health trainings for criminal justice partners on topics including behavioral health symptoms recognition, suicide prevention, and trauma-informed/trauma-responsive care.
• Develop and coordinate training schedules and curriculums with BHJD leadership.
• Work with the BHJD Business Intelligence Team to develop, refine, and maintain a tracking system/database to manage training requests and feedback about trainings provided
• Utilize feedback from training participants and training partners to continuously improve training content.
• Collaborate with BHJD's Business Intelligence Unit and the Continuous Quality Improvement process to support internal BHJD data analysis, reporting, and program evaluation.
• Collaborate with staff from the BHJD Resource Portal to facilitate increased referrals from the First Judicial District.
• Work with the First Judicial District Court and other partners to develop a booster training program and a training sustainability plan.

Other Duties

• Provide timely and effective communication with internal and external partners to ensure program goals and objectives are met.
• Interface with criminal justice representatives as needed to support the goals of each BHJD/DBHIDS program.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Skills Required

• Strong in-person and virtual verbal and multimedia presentation skills.
• Strong clinical and case management skills.
• Demonstrated understanding of and ability to navigate the behavioral health and criminal justice systems in Philadelphia.
• Knowledge of mental health disorders, substance use disorders, and co-occurring challenges.
• Knowledge of how behavioral health issues intersect with the criminal justice system in the City of Philadelphia.
• Cross-cultural skills and experience with culturally diverse populations.
• Recovery experience is a plus.
• Knowledge of benefits, how to activate benefits, and how to leverage benefits to access treatment and resources.
• Demonstrated excellence in written and oral communication skills. Knowledge of multiple languages a plus.
• Demonstrated ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships.
• Ability to work cooperatively and communicate effectively with a wide variety of individuals and agencies representing varying perspectives and interests.

Education and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in social work, psychology, or a related field with at least 2 years of experience, master's degree in social work, psychology or a related field preferred.
• Experience working with individuals with substance use, mental health and co-occurring challenges. Criminal justice and/or teaching experience preferred.

Physical Demands

Ability to physically perform the duties and to work in the environmental conditions required such as maneuvering in office space - reaching file cabinets, fax and copier machines when necessary. Must be able to sit for up to 2 hours looking at a computer monitor and using a keyboard and mouse to perform data entry functions. Able to travel locally via public transportation and on foot to various criminal justice and behavioral health partner locations. Valid driver's license and use of personal licensed and insured vehicle during work hours as needed. Ability to pass criminal background check and background check required by the Philadelphia Department of Prisons. Ability to effectively utilize computers, databases, and related common office software packages such as Microsoft Word, Excel, and Access.

Other Job Requirements

Must have a valid driver's license and an acceptable driving record when operating a company/personal vehicle during work hours for work-related activities. Permission to operate a vehicle as part of your job duties will be contingent on your insurability as a driver consistent with PMHCC policy.

Essential Functions

• Training criminal justice partners in behavioral health topics. Manage the CIRT program.
• Employee must be able to work in an office environment that may include varying levels of distraction, noise, lighting, and privacy

Equal Opportunity Employment

PMHCC, Inc. is committed to equal opportunity. It is our policy to support equal employment for all employees and applicants without regard to race, religion, color, sex, sexual preferences, age, national origin, disability, behavioral health status, military status or any other characteristic protected by law.

Americans with Disabilities Act

Employees as well as applicants who are currently, or become disabled, must be able to perform the functions of the job with either reasonable accommodation or unaided. PMHCC, Inc. will examine reasonable accommodations on a case-by-case basis in accordance with the law.