Active Consulting

Powered by 60+ years as a service provider, Benchmark’s Active Consulting creates lasting results for existing systems.

When families, providers, and caregivers are in crisis, our highly-skilled team provides wraparound supports to enhance existing systems and create better outcomes for all.

Our history is rooted in serving individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Now, we improve the systems that support vulnerable populations with complex needs, including individuals with dual diagnosis of IDD and behavioral health conditions.

Active Consulting includes hands-on training and walk-alongside support. Our approach produces better outcomes for individuals and can reduce costs and stressors to the overall system.

We customize our approach, helping our partners make systemic changes to address their most urgent and complex needs. Active Consulting includes:
• Comprehensive Assessments
• Policy and Program Consultation
• Specialized Clinical and Staff Resources and Training, including On-Site Coaching
• 24/7 Crisis Line Access for Staff and Caregivers
• Transition Management
• Crisis Debriefing

Individuals in California can find client and applicant appeals procedure information on the DDS website: dds.ca.gov/complaints and by calling the DDS phone number: 916-654-1987.

Recent Projects

Guided by our mission, Active Consulting focuses on building provider capacity to provide supports for people with complex needs. Benchmark’s Arkansas State Director, Charles Burd (MS, BCBA), and Alabama State Director, Melanie Bald (LMSW), describe the connection between our values and our active consulting work in the video below.

Arkansas Provider Focus
Benchmark partnered with Summit Community Care Provider-Led Arkansas Shared Savings Entity (PASSE – an IDD and behavioral health provider shared savings organization) and Elevance Health, its managed care partner, to implement Arkansas Provider Focus. The project aimed to build capacity among a pilot group of Arkansas providers to support individuals with IDD using person-centered approaches to prevent behavior escalation and psychiatric crises.

Through a team of clinicians including Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs) and Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs), Benchmark provided—
• Customized training options and topics, offered on-site and virtually, for family caregivers and providers’ direct support professionals, supervisors, and organizational leaders
• Transition and placement planning assistance
• Identification of high-potential direct care staff for development into RBTs and BCBAs

Alabama IDD Crisis Systems Analysis and Provider Capacity Building
In 2021, Benchmark contracted with the State of Alabama to research and design a continuum of care for individuals experiencing behavioral health crises, conducting extensive stakeholder engagement and data collection and analysis. Benchmark assisted the State with drafting a Request for Proposals for development of crisis diversion centers and provided targeted technical assistance for the centers during startup.

Through this initial project, Benchmark identified critical gaps in care for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) experiencing crisis situations and significant provider capacity limitations to serve these individuals. Benchmark is currently engaged in a two-year contract with the State of Alabama to create a full continuum of supports to serve individuals with IDD with intensive behavior and medical needs in community settings. The project is comprised of two major components:

1. Systems Analysis:

• A holistic system assessment, including a gap analysis of system and provider capacity, technical gaps within the current system of care, and challenges for providers
• Recommendations to support individuals with a wide range of complex needs

2. Provider Capacity Building/Crisis Support:

• Direct support and consultation to providers with priority given to those cases with the most acute needs
• Intensive care coordination for individuals with most significant support needs/those on the waitlist for services

Implementation of a master plan of provider capacity building initiatives (e.g., training, database to monitor persons in crisis, response protocol, outcome measurement, internal development of staff behavior support expertise).

Contact Us

If you are interested in working with us, please contact: