Watari’s Downtown Community Courts Program is partnered to work hand in hand with the Vancouver Intensive Supervision Unit, with an integrated framework providing probation, housing, mental health, employment, and education, to assist this group of individuals to be more stable and connected to their community.
System Negotiator at Downtown Community Courts
Many of the participants of the MHP have had interactions with housing, income assistance, mental health teams, and addiction service providers, yet continue to struggle with these and other issues. The primary purpose of the Watari System Negotiator and their team is to appropriately assess, treat and assist individuals presenting in court, and have their charges stayed, once they have been sufficiently helped and/or transitioned to a more long-term care team. These individuals would often be better and more effectively served in the health and social service realm, rather than the criminal justice stream.
This program is a part of the Downtown Community Court system, and as such, referrals are directly related to people coming in contact with the courts.
Funded by the Law Foundation of B.C., Watari’s System Negotiator is part of the Mental Health Program (MHP) at Vancouver’s Downtown Community Courts (DCC). Working as part of the team, our System Negotiator assists individuals in navigating their specific pathway that was developed through a case management plan.
The DCC MHP was developed as a result of the need to provide integrated assessments, case plans, and support for accused persons who are chronically mentally ill. The program develops case plans and implementation strategies, working with existing community-based agencies to provide direct support for participants. The MHP is located at DCC and is comprised of: a Psychiatrist, Dr. MacEwan, a Forensic Liaison Nurse, a Probation Officer, and Watari’s System Negotiator.
