“This request is designed to address the Michigan Mental Health and Wellness Commission recommendation of “monitoring and follow-up of Michigan juvenile competency legislation enacted in 2012”. Juvenile competency to stand trial evaluations require specialized processes that take child development and juvenile court processes into account and need to meet the criteria set in the Probate Code, 1939 PA 239, and the Mental Health Code, 1974 PA 258. Setting standards for juvenile competency evaluators and evaluations will ensure consistency, while allowing for the unique elements of juvenile competency to be addressed.
Since passage of juvenile competency legislation in Michigan, various advocacy and stakeholder groups have requested further assistance and direction in ensuring that qualified juvenile competency evaluators are available and can be utilized when needed to determine the competency of a youth to stand trial. The curriculum developed and approved through this RFP process and the delivery of the training will take the next steps in ensuring a qualified and trained workforce available to conduct work throughout the state. This initiative aims to increase the evaluation quality and availability of juvenile competency evaluators, also referred to as forensic juvenile mental health examiners.”
Excerpted from Michigan Department of Health and Human Services Bureau of Purchasing Condensed RFP, RFP Number: JJP Evaluator-SW-21017