The Kentucky Behavioral Health Planning and Advisory Council is seeking membership applications from individuals to represent:
- Parents/grandparents/guardians who have custody of a child (birth through age 20) with behavioral health challenges.
Membership eligibility is described on Page 1 of the Membership Application (see Related Links).
Council Description
Established by administrative order in 1989, the Kentucky Behavioral Health Planning and Advisory Council conforms to Public Law 102-321, which requires formulation of such a council and specifies its composition of 51 percent consumers and family members of individuals with mental health and substance use disorders.
The council is charged with the following duties:
Council Duties
- Report directly to the Commissioner of DBHDID.
- Assist DBHDID in designing a comprehensive, recovery-oriented system of care.
- Advise DBHDID on the use of Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant (SABG) funds and Mental Health Block Grant (MHBG) funds and on the quality of statewide, recovery-oriented behavioral health services.
- Review the biennial combined SABG and MHBG Application and annual Behavioral Health Report pursuant to Public Law 102-321, Section 1915(a), and submit recommendations to DBHDID prior to the September 1 and December 1 due dates, respectively.
- Advocate for individuals in recovery, children and youth with behavioral health challenges, and family members.
- Monitor, review, and evaluate, no less than once a year, the allocation and quality of statewide, recovery-oriented behavioral health services.
Council Meetings and Committees
The full council meets quarterly and has several established committees, including Executive, Bylaws, Membership, and Finance and Data, as well as ad hoc committees deemed appropriate by the council membership.
Council Mission and Vision
The council’s mission and vision are as follows:
Mission: The council is the active voice promoting awareness of and access to effective, affordable, recovery-oriented and resiliency-based services in all communities.
Vision: We believe that all children, adolescents, and adults in the commonwealth have the right to excellent, recovery-oriented behavioral health services that are affordable, consumer-driven, value their individuality, assist them to achieve their fullest potential, and enable them to live and thrive in their community.
Council Membership
The council is composed of representatives from state agencies, providers, individuals in recovery from mental health and/or substance use disorders, family members of individuals in recovery, parents/guardians of a child with behavioral health challenges, and two young adults in recovery. Access the "Membership List" link in the Related Links box for a list of members.
The council currently has 37 members:
- Six individuals in recovery from mental health disorders and/or substance use disorders.
- Six parents/grandparents/guardians/foster parents who have custody of a child (birth through age 20) with behavioral health challenges.
- Six family members of an individual in recovery from behavioral health disorders.
- Two young adults in recovery from behavioral health disorders (age 18–25).
- Four representatives of advocacy organizations that DBHDID contracts with for services.
- Two provider organization representatives.
- Eleven state agency representatives.
The ratio of parents of children with behavioral health challenges to other members of the council must be sufficient to provide adequate representation of these children.
Most importantly, the federal law that governs the council (Public Law 102-321) states that not less than 50 percent of the members of the council are individuals who are not state employees or providers of mental health services.