Creating a Wellness Recovery-Oriented System of Care

This six part virtual series will explore how to foster a Wellness Recovery-Oriented System of Care (WROSC) for Berkshire families involved with DCF due to Substance Use Disorder. The series opens with a discussion of what constitutes a recovery-oriented system of care. We will include the voices of people with lived experience, and discuss our roles as lawyers, clinicians, DCF case workers, lawyers, court staff and judges. We will discuss services available in the Berkshires and Western Massachusetts, how to access these services, and the gaps in services we have. In the final session, we will discuss where to go from here and learn about Family Drug Court that is expected to come to the Berkshires.

Planning Committee

The planning committee for the Berkshire WROSC Forum includes Attorney Dorothy Storrow, CAFL Resource Attorney for the Berkshires, Aimee Cameron-Brown, Regional DCF Counsel, Aimee Bouchard, Attorney In Charge, Berkshire CAFL Staff Office, Amy Robandt, Social Worker, Berkshire CAFL Staff Office, Jennifer Barnaby, DCF Plan of Safe Care Coordinator, Melinda Moreno, DCF Western MA Regional Substance Abuse Coordinator, Diane Hawkins, MSW, DCF Substance Abuse Specialist, Ruth Jacobson-Hardy, Director of Women and Family Services at BSAS-DPH, and Moana Rawlins, Interim Western Regional Manager for BSAS-DPH.

Schedule

October 13, 1-3 “Moving Toward a Wellness Recovery Oriented Systems of Care” (2 CLE’s for CAFL Attorneys)

Our initial session kicks off with an introduction and welcome by First Justice Joan McMenemy followed by a keynote presentation from Julia Ojeda, the Recovery Support Services Coordinator for the Bureau of Substance Addiction Services at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Ms. Ojeda has been at the forefront of establishing Recovery Support Services in Massachusetts. Ms. Ojeda is a person with lived experience with addiction and is in long-term recovery. Ms. Ojeda will discuss the importance of creating a community that supports recovery and will provide some tips for how we can work together toward this goal. She maintains that transformative change comes when the individual is empowered to direct the course of her recovery. She will describe what a Wellness Recovery-Oriented System of Care looks and sounds like.

Following this keynote, we will have a presentation from a mother with lived experience in recovery and reunification. We will conclude this session with a discussion of what each of us do now that supports recovery, and how we might change what we do to build an even more supportive environment for recovery.

October 20, 1-2 PM “The Child Welfare System -101” (1 CLE for CAFL Attorneys)

This presentation is geared for treatment providers who want to learn how the Child Welfare System works. It will include a description of DCF’s timeline, how DCF decides whether to seek custody of children, the Care and Protection court process, and the role of counsel for each parent and for the children. The presenters will discuss how DCF works with treatment providers and other community supports, and how DCF uses information to assess children’s safety. Aimee Cameron Browne DCF’s Regional Counsel, and Aimee Bouchard, Attorney in Charge of the Children and Family Law’s Berkshire Office, will lead this discussion.

October 27, 1-2 PM “SUD Treatment- 101” (1 CLE for CAFL Attorneys)

This presentation is geared for DCF staff and lawyers, lawyers for parents and children, court staff, and judges. It will describe the different levels of SUD treatment, the admission criteria for each level, and will discuss the multiple avenues to recovery as well as some new resources for women such as the Franklin Recovery Center’s all female ATS and CSS program and the Women’s Section 35 program, BHN’s High View and programs for families such as the First Steps Together Program in Pittsfield. Ruth Jacobson-Hardy, the Director of Women and Family Services at BSAS-DPH will lead this presentation.

November 3, 1-2 PM “Outpatient Treatment, Recovery Supports, & Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD)” (1 CLE for CAFL Attorneys)

In this session, a panel of local treatment providers will highlight some of the innovative outpatient treatment and recovery support options in the Berkshires and Western Massachusetts. We will discuss gaps and the challenges that we need to address. We will provide a comprehensive Western MA resource guide which lists the SUD programs in our region.

November 10th, 1- 2PM “Residential Treatment Options” (1 CAFL CLE)

This session focuses on residential treatment options. A panel of providers will describe Acute Treatment Services (ATS, formerly “Detox”), Clinical Stabilization Service (CSS), Transitional Support Service (TSS), and Residential Recovery Service (RRS) programs in the Berkshires and in Western MA. This forum will address the specialized services for women and families and how to access those services. The panel will also address gaps and wish lists for the Berkshires.

November 17th, 1-2:30 PM “Next Steps Toward a Wellness Recovery-Oriented System of Care” (1.5 CAFL CLE)

Our final session will focus on where we can go from here. In anticipation of Family Drug Court coming to the Berkshire Juvenile Court, we include speakers from the Franklin Family Drug Court, including Ret. Judge Beth Crawford and a parent with lived experience within the Franklin Family Drug Court. We will wrap up with reflective questions, and gather your ideas for going forward.