DEPARTMENT: Social Services-Adult Services
FILE TYPE: Consent Action
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Authorization To Execute Joint Powers Agreements With Dakota County Law Enforcement Agencies For Social Services Public Safety Embedded Social Worker Partnerships
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RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, cities and counties across the nation are exploring new approaches to working with people who experience a mental health crisis; and
WHEREAS, Dakota County and cities have been working together, for years, to develop partnerships and new models of response to a mental health crisis that promote safe, healthy communities and people receiving the right services at the right time; and
WHEREAS, Dakota County and public safety partners have been among the first in Minnesota to develop and implement crisis follow-up models, including through the Coordinated Response Pilot (the Pilot); and
WHEREAS, the Pilot, launched in 2019, was an innovative partnership aimed at providing a more effective, coordinated response to residents whose use of emergency services may indicate a need for a more integrated response from law enforcement and Social Services (SS); and
WHEREAS, the Pilot operated in four Dakota County cities -Apple Valley, Rosemount, South St. Paul, and West St. Paul - and was eventually expanded to all interested cities and the Dakota County Sheriff's Office; and
WHEREAS, in participating cities, a SS mental health social worker works closely with an assigned police partner to provide follow-up, service coordination and crisis stabilization services following a mental health crisis event; and
WHEREAS, crisis follow-up services link residents to other short- and long-term support services and are an essential component of an effective crisis services continuum; and
WHEREAS, partnerships have expanded to include co-location of mobile crisis services; and
WHEREAS, by Resolution No. 20-449 (September 22, 2020), the County Board of Commissioners approved entering into joint power...
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