ACT is a community-based, team-based service to support members living with complex and significant behavioral health needs and a treatment history that may include psychiatric hospitalization and emergency room visits, residential treatment, involvement with the criminal justice system, homelessness, and/or lack of engagement with traditional outpatient services.
ACT is delivered by a multidisciplinary ACT team and includes a full range of clinical treatment, psychosocial rehabilitation, care coordination, and community support services designed to support recovery. ACT is designed to promote recovery by helping individuals cope with the symptoms of their behavioral health conditions and acquire the skills they need to function and remain integrated in the community, including the ability to obtain and maintain employment and housing and build strong social relationships.
Forensic ACT (FACT) introduces forensic adaptations into the ACT model to address the complex needs of members living with significant behavioral health needs who are also involved with the criminal justice system. In practice, FACT is the ACT model with additional training and staffing requirements to serve the needs of justice-involved members.
Appropriate for: Adults with serious mental illness (SMI) or co-occurring substance use disorder (SUD), including individuals that have:
FACT is typically only appropriate for members with the most complex and significant behavioral health needs who require the highest level of services, exhibit high risk for reincarceration or detention, and are willing to engage in frequent, intensive community-based contacts.
May not be appropriate for: Individuals solely diagnosed with SUD, personality disorder(s), or intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD).
ACT includes a full range of clinical treatment, psychosocial rehabilitation, care coordination, and community support services designed to promote recovery. All services should be culturally informed and recovery oriented. The ACT service model is comprised of core components that emphasize a team-based approach with shared caseloads; field-based and flexible service delivery; a person-centered approach to care; and 24/7 crisis availability.
FACT includes the same covered service components and teams should perform the same key functions. In addition, FACT teams should incorporate strategies that address criminogenic risks and needs, such as:
Each ACT and FACT multidisciplinary team should include a diverse array of behavioral health practitioners, including:
FACT teams include lived experience expertise and forensic adaptations to the ACT approach to address the needs of ACT-eligible individuals with historical or current involvement with the criminal justice system.
All FACT teams should have similar staffing structures to ACT teams. Additionally, FACT teams are expected to include at least one practitioner with lived experience with the criminal justice system.