What is the SCRP?
The Southern Counties Regional Partnership is a collaborative effort between ten Southern California counties. The Partnership’s goals are to coordinate regional education programs, disseminate information and strategies throughout the region, develop common training opportunities and share programs that increase diversity of the public mental health system workforce when those programs are more easily coordinated at a regional level. The ten member counties are Kern, Imperial, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tri-City and Ventura.
Today’s mental health practice is focused on creating hope and supporting wellness, recovery and resiliency for people living with mental illness. SCRP’s ambition is to create a workforce that understands and supports wellness and recovery, is culturally and linguistically competent, and includes consumers and family members throughout the mental health system.
Accomplishments
Developed an MOU between all ten counties and got it approved by all Boards of Supervisors and County Counsels. The process took 18 months but was very useful in getting everyone in agreement on the importance of the partnership.
Developed Graduate Stipend Program to award educational stipends to students training in their final year in a treatment facility operated by a county-run or county-contracted behavioral health agency. Over 200 stipends awarded to date.
Implemented pipeline programs consisting of outreach and education programs directed at high school and undergraduate students to provide information and guidance regarding careers in behavioral health.
Secured a contract with USC to begin a three year project to train cultural competency, not only in classes but in actual therapy sessions. This is for the four small “upper” Southern counties - a great leveraging of funding for smaller counties who may have been unable to afford on their own.
Supported peer employment by offering peer training stipends to enhance peer employment within county behavioral health services.
Implemented Loan Repayment Program to provide financial assistance to behavioral health professionals in high need and hard-to-fill positions within the 10 counties of SCRP to enhance employment/staff retention.
History of the SCRP
Funding for the Southern Counties Regional Partnership (SCRP) was approved on February 5, 2009, consistent with the requirements in DMH Info Notice 08-20. Since that time the SCRP has begun infrastructure building in order to implement activities identified through this collaborative process.
The SCRP developed a regional work plan which includes goals to coordinate regional education programs, disseminate information and strategies throughout the region, develop common training opportunities and share programs that increase diversity of the public mental health system workforce when those programs are more easily coordinated at a regional level.
We love working with our County Partners!
If you’re looking for more information on existing or creating new partnerships, you can learn more on our County Partners page via the button below!
MHSA
The passage of Proposition 63 (now known as the Mental Health Services Act or MHSA) in November 2004, provided the opportunity for the California Department of Mental Health (DMH) to provide increased funding, personnel and other resources to support county mental health programs and monitor progress toward statewide goals for children, transition age youth, adults, older adults and families. The Act addresses a broad continuum of prevention, early intervention and service needs and the necessary infrastructure, technology and training elements that will effectively support this system.
Mental Health Service Act Section 5822 (d) established regional partnerships among the mental health system and the educational system to expand outreach to multicultural communities, increase the diversity of the mental health workforce, to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness, and to promote the use of web‐based technologies, and distance learning techniques.
This Act imposes a 1% income tax on personal income in excess of $1 million. Statewide, the Act was projected to generate approximately $254 million in fiscal year 2004-05, $683 million in 2005-06 and increasing amounts thereafter. Much of the funding will be provided to county mental health programs to fund programs consistent with their local plans.
To view the full text of the MHSA, go to:
WET
The Workforce, Education and Training component provides dedicated funding to remedy the shortage of qualified individuals to provide services to address serious mental illness (WIC 5820). Requirements include:
- Expand capacity of postsecondary education programs
- Expand forgiveness and scholarship programs
- Create new stipend program modeled after the federal Title IV-E program
- Create new regional partnerships among the mental health system and educational entities to increase the diversity, reduce the stigma, and promote distance learning techniques
- Implement strategies to recruit high school students for mental health occupations
- Develop and implement curricula to train staff on WET principles
- Promote the employment of mental health consumers and family members in the mental health system
- Promote the meaningful inclusion of mental health consumers and family members
- Promote the inclusion of cultural competency in the training and education programs in subdivisions (a) through (f).
The Southern Counties Regional Partnership Workforce Education and Training (WET) Plan is consistent with and supportive of the goals and objectives of the ten southern counties. The development of this regional WET plan includes seven program components and establishes a plan to enact these program goals. Progress and outcomes of education and training programs and activities listed in the WET plan will be reported and shared with appropriate adjustments made. The plan was developed with input from all SCRP WET Coordinators.