CIRT is for Crisis Calls Only. For general inquiries please call (805) 445-7800.
The Children’s Intensive Response Team (CIRT) is a mobile crisis response service available to all Ventura County children and youth through the age of 21. CIRT is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. CIRT delivers quick and accessible service to families by providing specialized crisis intervention and in-home support and linkage to county mental health services or other appropriate assistance. By working in collaboration with the child’s existing service providers, CIRT seeks to keep kids and families safe in their homes and communities and avoid hospitalization and use of other public resources such as law enforcement.
The goal of the CIRT Program is to keep youth in the community in the least restrictive setting. Services may be provided over the phone as the initial emergency call is taken
(i.e. de-escalation and linkage) or in person (i.e. emergency mental health assessments, assessments for inpatient psychiatric hospitalization, proactive safety planning and safety monitoring, collaborative introduction meetings). CIRT services can last up to 30 days and all open cases receive linkage and referrals based on a family’s need.
CIRT collaborates with community partners to ensure a family is linked to services. CIRT is also a referral source for Supportive Behavioral Services (SBS). CIRT services are available to assist a youth and family in crisis and can be accessed by the general public.
To find out more about the services CIRT can provide, or if you are experiencing a mental health emergency, please contact the CIRT crisis line at 1-866-431-2478.
Erick Elhard, M.S., Program Manager
Phone: (805) 366-4410
E-mail: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
