DJJ SPECIALIZED TREATMENT SERVICES PROGRAMS

1. COMPREHENSIVE SERVICES FOR MAJOR DISORDERS provide the most intensive level

of mental health treatment within the DJJ continuum of specialized treatment programs.

a. Dual Diagnosis – Major Disorders Programs are designed specifically for youths

diagnosed with both a major mental disorder and a substance-related disorder. This program is capable of treating youths with very serious to severe mental health disorders and substance abuse problems.

b. Intensive – Major Disorders Programs provide the most intensive level of mental health

treatment within the DJJ continuum of commitment programs/services, and is intended to serve youths in need of a very intensive level of clinical support and services. Youths admitted to this program are likely to have a recent history of very serious to severe mental health symptoms, use of psychotropic medication and on-going mental health treatment. Youths who are demonstrating challenging behaviors in juvenile justice settings such as self-mutilation, self-injury, emotional instability, paranoia or bizarre behavior may be considered appropriate for this program.

2. INTENSIVE SERVICES PROGRAMS are designed specifically for youths with intensive

mental health needs, youths with an adjudicated sex offense or youths with development disability. Intensive Services Program must also be capable of providing services for youths with co-occurring disorders. Within DJJ residential and correctional programs, the Intensive Services Programs provided are:

a. Intensive Mental Health Treatment Services Programs are provided to youths with

serious to severe mental disturbance whose level of impairment and maladaptive behavior impedes their ability to function in a general residential commitment program.

b. Sex Offender Treatment Services–Secure Programs are provided for youths with an

adjudicated sex offense who are classified as high risk to public safety. Sex offender treatment services include comprehensive sex offender assessments and evaluations, sex offender therapy services and individualized sex offender treatment planning.

c. Developmental Disability Treatment Services Programs are provided for youths with

an IQ less than seventy whose level of cognitive impairment and related functional limitations impede their ability to function in a general offender program. Programs providing Developmental Disability Treatment Services must have the capacity to provide mental health services and/or substance abuse services for youths with co-occurring mental health disorder.

3. SPECIALIZED SERVICES PROGRAMS are designed specifically for youths with moderate to

serious mental disorder, youths with serious substance-related disorder, or youths with an adjudicated sex offense who are moderate risks to public safety. Within DJJ residential and correctional programs, the Specialized Services Programs provided are:

a. Specialized Mental Health Services Programs are provided to youths with moderate to

serious mental disturbance whose level of impairment and maladaptive behavior impedes their functioning, but are not at the level of intensive services. Specialized Mental Health Services Programs are designed specifically for youths with serious mental disturbance,

co-occurring substance-related disorder. Specialized Mental Health Services Programs provide a higher intensity service than MHOS, but are not at the level of Intensive Mental Health Treatment Services.

b. Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) Programs) provide a full array of

substance abuse treatment services including substance abuse assessment, treatment and relapse prevention. DJJ RSAT programs provide substance abuse treatment over a six to twelve month period within residential and correctional facilities that offer a therapeutic community model and are set apart from the general offender population. DJJ RSAT Programs focus primarily on the substance abuse problems of juvenile offenders and are designed to develop the youth’s cognitive, behavioral, social and other skills to solve their substance abuse, delinquency and related problems. Funding for the DJJ RSAT Program is provided by FDLE through a U.S. Department of Justice Residential Substance Abuse Treatment for State Prisoners grant. DJJ RSAT Programs are licensed under Chapter 397, Florida Statutes, to provide residential substance abuse treatment.

c. Sex Offender Treatment Services – Non-Secure Programs are provided for youths

with an adjudicated sex offense. Sex offender treatment services include comprehensive sex offender assessments and evaluations, sex offender therapy services and individualized sex offender treatment planning.

B. DJJ SPECIALIZED TREATMENT OVERLAY SERVICES are specialized treatment services

provided to youths placed in a general residential commitment program who have mental health and/or substance use disorders. DJJ residential commitment programs that provide Specialized Treatment Overlay Services receive an enhanced per diem rate designated specifically for

specialized treatment services provided to eligible youths within a general residential commitment program setting. However, if all of the beds/slots in a general residential commitment program have been designated for specialized treatment overlay services, the program should be expected to function as a DJJ specialized treatment services program.

Within DJJ residential commitment programs, the Specialized Treatment Overlay Services provided are:

1. Mental Health Overlay Services (MHOS) are provided to youths placed in a general

residential commitment program who have moderate to serious mental or emotional disturbance and impairment which impedes their ability to function.

2. Behavioral Health Overlay Services (BHOS) are behavioral health (mental health and substance abuse) services provided to youths who are placed in the care of Medicaid enrolled, certified residential commitment programs under contract with the Department of Juvenile Justice. BHOS providers provide a comprehensive array of mental health and substance abuse services as an overlay to the residential care and delinquency programming provided. BHOS providers must provide services in accordance with requirements set forth by DJJ and the Agency for Health Care Administration, Florida Medicaid Community Behavioral Health Services Coverage and Limitations Handbook.

3. Residential Substance Abuse Treatment Overlay Services (RSAT Overlay Services) are

substance abuse treatment services, including substance abuse assessment, treatment and relapse prevention provided to juvenile offenders placed in a general residential commitment program who are substance abusers. These youth receive daily substance abuse treatment

DJJ general residential commitment program have been designated for residential substance abuse treatment overlay services (RSAT Overlay Services), the program should be expected to function as a specialized treatment services program. DJJ RSAT Overlay services require a therapeutic structure for the subset of juvenile offenders who are substance abusers and clinical activities that promote long-term abstinence from drug use, and which address the full complexity of each youth’s substance abuse.

See Appendix W for general information regarding youth eligibility, clinical services and clinical staffing in specialized treatment services programs.

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