Graduation Semester and Year
Summer 2026
Language
English
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Social Work
Department
Social Work
First Advisor
Jaclyn Kirsch
Second Advisor
De'An Roper
Third Advisor
Ann Hunt-Rodgers
Abstract
This scoping review explores co-response teams, a coordinated response consisting of a mental health professional (MHP) and a law enforcement official (LEO). It examines the implementation, effectiveness, and outcomes of these interventions, highlighting barriers and facilitators of co-response teams. The review analyzed peer-reviewed studies from the years 2016-2026. Using the Arskey & O’Malley framework, an initial database search yielded 691 studies of which 30 were included in this review. The review identifies four areas of ideas: legal system diversion and outcomes, frontline stakeholders' roles and friction, specialized co-response teams, and systemic barriers and resource constraints. Significant gaps remain in long-term systemic failures overshining the initial field success, the systemic resource gap and lack of long-term community-based follow-up care, lack of shared database tracking between county mental health programs and law enforcement agencies, and the lack of a universal method/name. Addressing these gaps can enhance program sustainability, improve citizen well-being, and foster supportive community relationships.
Keywords
Co-response teams, Police, Social work, Mental health professionals, Co-responding units
Disciplines
Social Work
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Recommended Citation
Burkhart, Kristen N., "The Efficacy of Co-Response Teams: A scoping review" (2026). Social Work Theses. 8.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/socialwork_theses2/8