Disability Rights Texas seeks to hire a Mental Health Policy Fellow. Located in Austin, TX this position is an entry level policy position for recent Master’s graduates. This time limited grant funded position is made possible by the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health. The continuation of this position’s availability past the duration of this funding is not guaranteed.
Position Summary
The primary role of the Policy Fellow is twofold. First, to improve mental health identification and services through policies that promote school collaborations with mental health providers. Second, to address the failure of Texas schools to engage in “Child Find” activities to Identify and Serve Students with Mental Health Conditions in Special Education & 504 Programs.
The policy fellow will study and advance public policy related to the school’s role in identifying youth with mental health disabilities and providing appropriate services and supports. In partnership with a designated mentor, the fellow will identify barriers to accessing educational services for youth with mental illness who face inappropriate school discipline or juvenile justice referral for disability-related conduct. The policy fellow will become familiar with mental health policy and develop policy expertise related to special education and behavioral supports. The fellow will have opportunities to collaborate with state and national disability rights, educational advocacy and juvenile justice organizations. The fellow is expected to participate in the Hogg Mental Health Policy Academy and participate in academy activities approximately once a month which may include meetings, webinars, trainings, site visits, and retreats. The fellow will prepare and assist in preparing communications to report findings and recommendations to a variety of stakeholders. The fellow will also develop relationships with local, state and national organizations, stakeholders, legislators and other public officials. The fellow will participate in any evaluation efforts of the fellowship program.
Required qualifications for this position include...
Master’s degree required, preferably received within the past 18 months, with a concentration in Law, Public Policy, Political Science, Government, Education, Disability Studies, Social Service or other related field of study.
Ability to develop knowledge of or working knowledge of systems in Texas that provide services to youth with mental illness, including the special education system, community-based mental health services system, juvenile probation departments and the Texas Youth Commission.
Ability to develop working knowledge of the regulatory and legislative processes in Texas and ability to inform policymakers about the impact of lack of appropriate educational assessments to identify with mental illness and other disabilities.
to learn more and apply visit http://careers.drtx.org