To be endorsed, eligible organizations must meet the staffing standards described in this section.

1. (1) Staffing plan. An eligible organization must have a staffing plan that includes:

   1. (a) How an eligible organization will be staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including when each position is available to respond and where the teams are located;
   2. (b) How peers will be incorporated into the response team;
   3. (c) How peers will be recruited and any anticipated challenges for them;
   4. (d) Policies and procedures for how staff will respond safely and meet the time requirements in the regional dispatch protocols; and
   5. (e) Policies and procedures for ensuring follow-up crisis services occur after an initial response, as clinically and developmentally appropriate.

2. (2) Additional staffing documentation for community-based crisis teams (CBCT). A CBCT that contracts with a licensed and certified behavioral health agency to meet the staffing requirements described in WAC 182-140-0090 must have a staffing plan that includes:

   1. (a) Which staff are involved in the agreement;
   2. (b) The role of each staff member;
   3. (c) How staff will access clinical supervision 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for real-time consultation; and

   4. (d) How frequently clinical supervisors will provide ongoing coaching, case consultation, and clinical debriefing in a trauma informed manner, including how to:

      1. (i) Review charts; and
      2. (ii) Provide clinical quality assurance.

3. (3) Mobile rapid response crisis teams and nonexempt CBCTs. Eligible organizations that are not seeking the personnel exemption in RCW 71.24.903(3) must have sufficient response team staffing to ensure an in-person response is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and must:

   1. (a) Meet the required response times identified in the BH-ASO contract;
   2. (b) Provide all outreach in pairs unless it is not clinically appropriate;
   3. (c) Provide follow-up services as clinically appropriate to a person seeking behavioral health assistance and connect the person to ongoing support; and

   4. (d) Be composed of the following behavioral health clinical staff who are appropriately credentialed or licensed within their scope of practice and meet the criteria below:

      Provider type	Criteria: To ensure all outreach is provided in pairs, a response team must include:
      (i)	Behavioral health clinical staff:• A mental health professional (MHP)• A mental health care provider (MHCP)• A behavioral health support specialist (BHSS)	(A)	One behavioral health clinical staff; and
      	(B)	Another provider type identified in subsection (ii) or (iii) of this table. If a provider type identified in subsection (ii) or (iii) of this table is unavailable, the second team member must be a behavioral health clinical staff, as clinically appropriate.
      (ii)	Certified peers who meet the criteria of chapter 182-115 or 182-116 WAC, as applicable:		A certified peer, when available, or a provider from subsection (iii) of this table.
      	• Certified peer counselor (CPC)• Certified peer support specialist (CPSS)• Certified peer support specialist trainee (CPSST)
      (iii)	Other: A behavioral health or medical professional working within their scope of practice under an approved staffing plan		A behavioral health or medical professional, as needed, to meet staffing requirements or a provider from subsection (ii) of this table.

   5. (e) Include at least one:

      1. (i) MHP, MHCP, or BHSS during an initial response; and
      2. (ii) One CPSS, when available; or
      3. (iii) One of the provider types described in subsection (d)(iii) of this section.
   6. (f) Have an MHP supervise when the responding team staff are in the field; and
   7. (g) Have access to an MHP 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for consultation. The consulting MHP may be the team supervisor or another MHP.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 41.05.021 and 41.05.160. WSR 26-10-026, s 182-140-0080, filed 4/29/26, effective 6/1/26. Statutory Authority: RCW 41.05.021, 41.05.160, and 71.24.903. WSR 24-18-088, § 182-140-0080, filed 8/30/24, effective 9/30/24.]