Court Liaison

COURT LIAISON

Court Liaison Pilot Program — Cohort Two

Burnet County  |  Burnet, Texas
Full-Time  |  $26.71 /hr

Job Overview

The Court Liaison is a coordination and communication role; not a therapist, caseworker, or attorney. Think of the Liaison as the connective tissue between the courthouse, the jail, and behavioral health providers: someone who makes sure the right information reaches the right person at the right time so cases involving mental health needs move through the system fairly and efficiently. The Liaison does not provide counseling, treatment, or legal representation, and does not make legal or clinical decisions.

Position Summary

The Court Liaison is a system-level, non-clinical position that improves how courts, jails, behavioral health authorities, attorneys, probation, pretrial services, law enforcement, and community partners work together on cases involving people with mental health needs. The Liaison identifies inefficiencies, improves the flow of information, and helps ensure judges and other decision-makers have timely, accurate information.

The Court Liaison operates under judicial oversight, in partnership with a local advisory committee, to reduce delays, improve continuity of care, and strengthen how the local justice and behavioral health systems function together. This is a coordination and process-improvement role, not a direct service or clinical position.

Key Terms to Know

This role involves specialized court and behavioral health terminology. No prior legal training is required to apply— the terms below are the ones used most often in this job description and in the daily work of the position.

Article 16.22	A section of the Texas Code of Criminal Procedure that requires early screening of people booked into jail for possible mental illness or intellectual/developmental disability, so courts can make informed decisions early in a case.
Behavioral Health	The term typically used when referring to mental health and substance use services.
Civil Commitment	A court-ordered process, separate from a criminal case, that may require a person to receive mental health treatment.
Competency Restoration	A legal process to help a defendant who is not currently able to understand the court process or assist their attorney regain the ability to do so—through treatment in jail, an outpatient program, or a state hospital—so their case can move forward.
Diversion	Programs or options that redirect an eligible person away from standard prosecution or incarceration and toward treatment or community-based alternatives.
JCMH / TIEMH	The Judicial Commission on Mental Health and the Texas Institute for Excellence in Mental Health—the state partners that oversee this pilot program and its data reporting.
LMHA / LBHA	Local Mental Health Authority / Local Behavioral Health Authority – the public agency responsible for coordinating mental health and behavioral health services in a local area.
LIDDA	Local Intellectual and Developmental Disability Authority – the public agency responsible for coordinating services for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
Pretrial Services	Supervision and support for defendants who have been released while their case is pending. This term may refer to a specific county office or to the services provided by someone.

Reporting Structure & Oversight

• Employed by or housed within [County/Office/Department].
• Works under the oversight of the designated lead judge for the pilot program.
• Supported by a local advisory committee that meets at least quarterly, convened by the lead judge.
• The advisory committee includes, at minimum, judicial leadership and the LMHA/LBHA, and typically also includes the jail, prosecutors, defense counsel, pretrial services, probation, reentry providers, hospital or crisis providers, and other community stakeholders.

Access to Information

To do this job, the Liaison needs to see relevant records across agencies. Consistent with Texas Health and Safety Code Ch. 611, § 614.017, and other applicable law, the Court Liaison will have appropriate access to:

• Relevant court records and case files.
• Jail records, including CCQ (continuity of care query) reports.
• Article 16.22 screening reports.
• LMHA/LBHA/LIDDA information, as permitted by law and necessary for coordination, case tracking, and system improvement.

Essential Job Functions

1. Stakeholder Connections, Coordination, & Communication

Being the connector across agencies that don’t always talk to each other.

• Serve as a single point of contact to improve communication among courts, jails, LMHA/LBHAs, LIDDAs, prosecutors, defense counsel, pretrial services, probation, reentry providers, law enforcement, hospitals, crisis providers, and other community partners.
• Build and maintain professional, collaborative relationships with justice, behavioral health, and community stakeholders.
• Facilitate communication across agencies to support timelier case processing and reduce unnecessary delays.
• Help partners understand, and provide education on, available local resources—treatment options, diversion opportunities, competency restoration options, civil commitment processes, reentry supports, and other alternatives, when appropriate.
• Coordinate the local advisory committee: schedule meetings, prepare materials, document decisions, and track follow-up items.
• Support coordination among courts, attorneys, jails, LMHA/LBHAs, hospitals, and other providers while individuals are awaiting evaluation, restoration, transfer, release, or connection to services.
• Communicate changes in local legal, behavioral health, or system processes to relevant stakeholders, including updates related to Article 16.22, competency restoration, waitlists, diversion, and reentry.

2. System Improvement & Case Flows

Looking beyond individual cases to fix the process itself. Helping the flow of cases move through the system without unnecessary delay.

• Support courts in meeting statutory requirements, including early identification and competency restoration processes.
• Provide judges with timely, relevant, and actionable information to support case management and decision-making.
• Identify delays in behavioral health-related cases and work with partners on strategies to reduce them.
• Identify, document, and communicate system-level improvements that reduce duplication, improve efficiency, and strengthen outcomes.
• Help map how individuals with mental health needs move through the local justice system.
• Identify gaps, barriers, and points of delay in local case processing and service connection.
• Work with stakeholders to develop and implement strategies that improve coordination, reduce delays, and support continuity of care.
• Document local practices, lessons learned, and successful strategies so other counties can replicate them.
• Support long-term sustainability planning for the Court Liaison role and related system improvements.

3. Behavioral Health Case Coordination

Keeping track of where each person is in the mental health processes, specifically competency restoration, so no one falls through the cracks.

• Track and coordinate information on competency evaluations, restoration orders, restoration waitlists, and restoration placements (outpatient, jail-based, state hospital, or SSLC).
• Coordinate with courts, jail staff, LMHA/LBHAs, state hospitals, SSLCs, attorneys, and other partners on transportation, paperwork, medication continuity, docketing, and status updates.
• Monitor competency-related cases to help ensure the court, attorneys, jail, pretrial services, probation, and behavioral health partners have timely, relevant information.
• Help identify whether alternatives to jail-based or inpatient competency restoration may be available and appropriate.
• When appropriate, help coordinate individualized transition or reentry plans involving the court, defense counsel, prosecution, jail, pretrial services, probation, LMHA/LBHA, and community providers.
• Help courts, attorneys, and system partners identify appropriate next steps for cases involving individuals with mental health needs, including: community resources, competency restoration options, diversion opportunities, civil processes, or reentry supports.
• Support planning for individuals transitioning back to the community, to civil commitment, to jail, or to supervision, with attention to continuity of care and reducing repeat bookings.

4. Data Collection, Reporting, & Evaluation

Turning day-to-day case activity into information the county and state can use to improve the system.

• Coordinate standardized case-level data collection and reporting through the centralized data portal provided by JCMH.
• Track program activity, case progression, key milestones, timelines, and points of delay.
• Submit required data to JCMH and the Texas Institute for Excellence in Mental Health (TIEMH) on the required reporting schedule.
• Review and correct data quality issues—missing, incomplete, or inconsistent data—within required timeframes.
• Coordinate with county and state partners to obtain necessary data.
• Participate in training, technical assistance, evaluation activities, and data quality reviews convened by JCMH or TIEMH.
• Use data to identify systemic inefficiencies, measure progress, inform local decisions, and support continuous improvement.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong problem-solving, facilitation, and collaboration skills.
• Ability to work professionally and tactfully with judges, attorneys, jail staff, behavioral health providers, law enforcement, county officials, community providers, individuals with mental health needs, and other stakeholders.
• Ability to organize and manage multiple projects, deadlines, meetings, and reporting requirements with minimal supervision.
• Ability to collect, organize, enter, review, and report case-level and program-level data.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Outlook, Word, and Excel.
• Comfort using electronic data systems, county case management systems, and data portals such as REDCap, Qualtrics, or similar platforms.
• Ability to prepare clear, concise reports on case coordination, program activities, system processes, and data trends.
• Knowledge of, or willingness to learn, criminal and civil court processes related to mental health, including Article 16.22, competency, civil commitment, diversion, reentry, and community-based services.
• Knowledge of, or willingness to learn, local and statewide mental health, behavioral health, IDD, crisis, housing, reentry, and support services.
• Strong judgment, emotional intelligence, professionalism, and the ability to work effectively in stressful or time-sensitive situations.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information in accordance with applicable law and county policy.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in social work, psychology, public health, public policy, sociology, criminal justice, counseling, behavioral health, public administration, or a related field.
• Experience working with courts, behavioral health systems, criminal justice systems, social services, community coordination, case management, program coordination, or related systems.
• Ability to pass required background checks.
• Valid Texas driver’s license and good driving record, if travel is required by the county.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with individuals with serious mental illness, substance use disorders, intellectual or developmental disabilities, or co-occurring needs.
• Experience working in or with courts, jails, LMHA/LBHAs, LIDDAs, probation, pretrial services, reentry programs, crisis services, or community behavioral health providers.
• Experience collecting, managing, reviewing, or reporting program-level or case-level data.
• Familiarity with Texas criminal court processes, civil commitment, competency restoration, Article 16.22, diversion, specialty courts, or reentry planning.
• Experience facilitating multidisciplinary meetings or cross-agency workgroups.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish preferred.

Working Conditions

This position may require travel within the county and occasional travel for training, technical assistance, or meetings convened by JCMH or partner organizations. Work may take place in court, jail, county office, community provider, or meeting settings. The Court Liaison must be able to work across multiple agencies, manage sensitive information, and communicate effectively with professionals across legal, behavioral health, and community systems.