Sponsored by:
Assemblyman RONALD S. DANCER
District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Requires DCF to establish certain training protocols for staff of children crisis intervention service units and screening centers.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning children and youth with developmental disabilities and supplementing Title 9 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Department of Children and Families, in collaboration with the Department of Human Services, shall develop training protocols for clinicians, screeners, and other health care professionals, employed by children’s crisis intervention services units and screening centers, on the specialized needs of, and the provision of health care services to, children and youth with developmental disabilities experiencing psychiatric or behavioral health crises. The training protocols shall be offered in both traditional and online formats.
b. These training protocols shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(1) guidelines for identifying children and youth with developmental disabilities who are experiencing psychiatric or behavioral health crises;
(2) guidelines on communicating with children and youth with developmental disabilities who are experiencing psychiatric or behavioral health crises;
(3) guidelines on communicating with children and youth with developmental disabilities who are nonverbal, including training on assistive devices used by such children;
(4) guidelines for assessing, stabilizing, evaluating, and treating children and youth with developmental disabilities who are experiencing psychiatric or behavioral health crises; and
(5) guidelines for assessing, stabilizing, evaluating, and treating children and youth with developmental disabilities who are displaying aggressive behaviors, including training on behavioral interventions and safety protocols.
c. The department may provide in-service training of clinicians, screeners, and other health care professionals employed by children’s crisis intervention services units and screening centers, according to the training protocols established pursuant to subsection a. of this section, on the specialized needs of, and the provision of health care services to, children and youth with developmental disabilities experiencing psychiatric or behavioral health crises.
2. The Department of Children and Families, in accordance with Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), shall adopt rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this act.
3. This act shall take
effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to develop training protocols for clinicians, screeners, and other health care professionals, employed by children’s crisis intervention services units and screening centers, on the specialized needs of, and the provision of health care services to, children and youth with developmental disabilities experiencing psychiatric or behavioral health crises. The protocols would be offered in both traditional and online formats.
The training protocols would include, but not be limited to guidelines: for identifying children and youth with developmental disabilities who are experiencing psychiatric or behavioral health crises or who are displaying aggressive behaviors; on communicating with children and youth with developmental disabilities who are experiencing psychiatric or behavioral health crises; on communicating with children and youth with developmental disabilities who are nonverbal, including training on assistive devices used by such children; for assessing, stabilizing, evaluating, and treating children and youth with developmental disabilities who are experiencing psychiatric or behavioral health crises; and for assessing, stabilizing, evaluating, and treating children and youth with developmental disabilities who are displaying aggressive behaviors, including training on behavioral interventions and safety protocols.
The bill also allows DCF to provide in-service training of clinicians, screeners, and other health care professionals employed by children’s crisis intervention services units and screening centers, according to the training protocols established in the bill, on the specialized needs of children and youth with developmental disabilities who are experiencing psychiatric and behavioral health crises.