Title
Community Assistance Program Hiring, Recruitment and Service Report
Description
This item includes a report on Phoenix Fire Department's Community Assistance Program (CAP) hiring and recruitment efforts. The report also details information on CAP's responses to calls for service.
THIS ITEM IS FOR INFORMATION ONLY.
Report
In June 2021, the City Council approved $15 million in the Fiscal Year 2021-22 Budget to expand the Community Assistance Program (CAP). CAP is a proven model to assist residents experiencing a traumatic event, behavioral health crisis, or other social welfare concerns. CAP consists of Crisis Response Units (CRUs), Behavioral Health Units (BHUs), and Behavioral Health dispatchers. CRUs continue to co-respond with police and fire on traumatic incidents to provide on-scene crisis stabilization. BHUs may respond as a singular unit to assist individuals experiencing a behavioral health or substance use concern or as a co-response unit. CAP is the foundation of our efforts to address those community needs that don’t expressly align with the mission of traditional emergency and public safety services. To meet these diverse needs, CAP staff continue collaborating with community partners and connecting individuals with appropriate resources.
In March 2023, CAP and Human Resources staff partnered to complete five hiring events resulting in 48 new caseworkers. The new caseworkers were onboarded over the summer. The onboarding period comprised a six-week training investment followed by continual education. The increased staffing allowed the BHUs to increase from one unit to four units in service, with increased citywide coverage and response. Staffing also increased for the CRUs from five units to six units, resulting in increased citywide coverage and response. Over the summer of 2023, CAP added four new Behavioral Health Dispatchers, bringing the total to six dispatchers to be more available to connect callers with needed services. Additional Peer Support Specialists have been hired to meet staffing needs on the BHU teams. CAP and the contracted agencies are continuing to conduct interviews.
Community Assistance Program (CAP) staff are currently planning the next hiring events. Staff anticipates recruitment for Caseworker II positions will post on Oct. 9, 2023, and remain open until Oct. 27, 2023, with interviews taking place the beginning of November. Recruitment for Caseworker III positions will post on Oct. 30, 2023, and will remain open until Nov. 17, 2023, and interviews will take place early in December. These are all tentative dates based on a meeting that took place this morning.
The CAP Data Report is included for review as Attachment A.
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Assistant City Manager Lori Bays, Deputy City Manager Ginger Spencer and the Fire Department.