FY2024 Annual Report

19 NJAMHAA Annual Report FY 2024 “ Being a part of the practice groups is a particularly rewarding experience for me. It significantly enhances my skill set and understanding of new information, which ultimately empowers me to make decisions that have a greater impact professionally. ” ElizabethM. O’Callaghan, MHA, CADC Training and Consultation Specialist Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care CHILDREN’S PRACTICE GROUP (CPG) AND ITS SCHOOL BASED SUBCOMMITTEE (SBS) The Children’s Practice Group includes representatives from PerformCare and the Juvenile Justice Commission who provide updates at every meeting, and frequently hosts guests from the state government and the behavioral healthcare field. In FY2024, the group hosted specialists who presented in July, September, November and March: July: Parenting the Adopted Child , Robert Hafetz, MS/MFT, Child Trauma Specialist September: Making Agencies Partners in Suicide Prevention , Susan Tellone, RN, BSN, MSN, CSN, Clinical Director, Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide November: The Mental Health Impacts of Eviction on Children and Families , Schenike Massie-Lambert, PhD, Clinical Coordinator, Children’s Center for Resilience and Trauma Recovery, Behavioral Research and Training Institute, Rutgers Health - University Behavioral Health Care March: Here I Am, I Am Me: An Illustrated Guide to Mental Health , Cara Bean, Author, Cartoonist and Art Educator CPG Chair: Alan DeStefano, MSW NJAMHAA Board Secretary and Executive Director, Cape Atlantic Integrated Network for Kids Vice Chair: Michelle Carlamere, LCSW Vice President, Oaks Integrated Care In January, the Children’s Practice Group met with Department of Children and Families Commissioner Christine Norbut Beyer; Assistant Commissioners Mollie Greene, Children’s System of Care, and Sanford Starr, Division of Family and Community Partnerships, on the FY2025 budget, intensive in-community (IIC) telehealth versus in-person IIC services, and several other issues important to members. Also in January, the group agreed to establish an Acute Care Workgroup to determine what amount of investment is needed to have services that stabilize youth and then transition them back to the community. The workgroup had its initial organizing meeting in March and first regular meeting in May. Last May (2023), the Children’s Practice Group’s School Based Youth Services Program (SBYSP) Subcommittee had transitioned to being the School Based Services Subcommittee, as it represents both SBYSPs and member NJ Statewide Student Support Services (NJ4S) programs. With many staff having transitioned from SBYSPs to the new NJ4S program and ongoing close collaboration of these programs needed in schools where SBYSPs operate, the joint meetings have clearly been helpful to staff of both programs. SBS Co-Chairs: Janel Gonzales, MEd Site Coordinator, Pineland Regional School Based Youth Services Program Stefanie Richardson, LCSW NJ4S Hub Director, Pemberton High School Legacy Treatment Services