SECTIONS 18250-18258 - California Statutes

WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS CODE

SECTION 18250-18258

18250. (a) It is the intent of the Legislature that all counties be
authorized to provide children with service alternatives to group
home care through the development of expanded family based services
programs. These programs shall include individualized or "wraparound"
services, where services are wrapped around a child living with his
or her birth parent, relative, nonrelative extended family member as
defined in Section 362.7, adoptive parent, licensed or certified
foster parent, or guardian. The wraparound services developed under
this section shall build on the strengths of each eligible child and
family and be tailored to address their unique and changing needs.
(b) It is further the intent of the Legislature that the county
wraparound services program include the following elements:
(1) Making available to the county the state share of nonfederal
reimbursement for group home placement, minus the state share, if
any, of any concurrent out-of-home placement costs, for children
eligible under this chapter, for the purpose of allowing the county
to develop family based service alternatives.
(2) Enabling the county to access all possible sources of federal
funds for the purpose of developing family based service
alternatives.
(3) Encouraging collaboration among persons and entities
including, but not limited to, parents, county welfare departments,
county mental health departments, county probation departments,
county health departments, special education local planning agencies,
school districts, and private service providers for the purpose of
planning and providing individualized services for children and their
birth or substitute families.
(4) Ensuring local community participation in the development and
implementation of wraparound services by county placing agencies and
service providers.
(5) Preserving and using the service resources and expertise of
nonprofit providers to develop family based and community-based
service alternatives.

18251. As used in this chapter:
(a) "County" means each county participating in an individualized
or wraparound services program.
(b) "County placing agency" means a county welfare or probation
department, or a county mental health department with respect to
those children placed pursuant to Section 7572.5 of the Government
Code.
(c) "Eligible child" means a child who is any of the following:
(1) A child who has been adjudicated as either a dependent or ward
of the juvenile court pursuant to Section 300, 601, or 602 and who
would be placed in a group home licensed by the department at a rate
classification level of 10 or higher.
(2) A child who would be voluntarily placed in out-of-home care
pursuant to Section 7572.5 of the Government Code.
(3) A child who is currently, or who would be, placed in a group
home licensed by the department at a rate classification level of 10
or higher.
(d) "Wraparound services" means community-based intervention
services that emphasize the strengths of the child and family and
includes the delivery of coordinated, highly individualized
unconditional services to address needs and achieve positive outcomes
in their lives.
(e) "Service allocation slot" means a specified amount of funds
available to the county to pay for an individualized intensive
wraparound services package for an eligible child. A service
allocation slot may be used for more than one child on a successive
basis.

18252. Each county shall, at the county's option, develop a county
plan for intensive wrap-around services and monitor the provision of
those services in accordance with the plan. This plan shall be
submitted to the department for informational purposes. Where a
county operates both systems of care under the Children's Mental
Health Services Act, Part 4 (commencing with Section 5850) of
Division 5, and wrap-around services, these plans shall be
coordinated. Each county's plan shall include all the following
elements:
(a) A process and protocol for reviewing the eligibility of
children and families for service and for monitoring accessibility
and availability of service to the targeted population. Children
shall be determined as eligible for wrap-around services pursuant to
subdivision (c) of Section 18251, except that:
(1) Once a child is determined to be eligible for wrap-around
services under this chapter, he or she shall remain eligible for the
time period specified in his or her individualized services plan.
(2) A child and family participating in a family maintenance
services program as described in Section 16506 and the wrap-around
services program, shall not be subject to the time limitations
specified in Section 16506.
(b) A process to accept, modify, or deny proposed individualized
service plans for eligible children and families.
(c) A process for parent support, mentoring, and advocacy that
ensures parent understanding of, and participation in, wrap-around
services programs.
(d) A planning and review process to support and facilitate the
following principles in delivering intensive wrap-around services to
eligible children and families:
(1) Focusing on an individual child and family through the
creation of service plans designed specifically to address the unique
needs and strengths of each child and his or her family.
(2) Providing services geared toward enabling children to remain
in the least restrictive, most family-like setting possible.
(3) Developing a close collaborative relationship with each child'
s family in the planning and provision of wrap-around services.
(4) Conducting a thorough, strengths-based assessment of each
child and family that will form the basis for the development of the
individualized intervention plan.
(5) Designing and delivering services that incorporate the
religious customs, and regional, racial, and ethnic values and
beliefs of the children and families served.
(6) Measuring consumer satisfaction to assess outcomes.
(e) Written interagency agreements or memorandums of understanding
between the county departments of mental health, social services,
and probation that specify jointly provided or integrated services,
staff tasks and responsibilities, facility and supply commitments,
budget considerations, and linkage and referral services.

18253. Each county shall ensure that an evaluation of the
wraparound services program is conducted to determine the cost and
treatment effectiveness of outcomes such as family functioning and
social performance, preventing placement in more restrictive
environments, improving emotional and behavioral adjustments, school
attendance, and stability in the least restrictive school placement
for eligible children. Systems of care outcomes shall be included to
the extent they are applicable to the target population.

18253.5. Each county shall ensure that staff participating in the
wraparound services program have completed training provided or
approved by the department, on providing individualized wraparound
services.

18254. (a) Reimbursement rates for wraparound services, under the
wraparound services program, shall be based on the following factors:
(1) The average cost of rate classification 10 to 11 in each
county, minus the cost of any concurrent out-of-home placement, for
children who are or would be placed in a rate level 10 or 11 group
home.
(2) The average cost of rate classification 12 to 14 in each
county, minus the cost of any concurrent out-of-home placement, for
children who are or would be placed in a rate level 12 to 14 group
home.
(b) The annual maximum limit on funding available for the
wraparound services program authorized by this chapter shall be based
on the average cost, determined pursuant to subdivision (a), for the
number of service allocation slots assigned to each county.
(c) The department shall reimburse each county, for the purpose of
providing intensive wraparound services, up to 100 percent of the
state share of nonfederal funds, to be matched by each county's share
of cost as established by law, and to the extent permitted by
federal law, up to 100 percent of the federal funds allocated for
group home placements of eligible children, at the rate authorized
pursuant to subdivision (a).
(d) State and, to the extent permitted by federal law, federal
foster care funds shall remain with the administrative authority of
the county welfare department, which may enter into an interagency
agreement to transfer those funds, and shall be used to provide
intensive wraparound services.
(e) General Fund costs for the provision of benefits to eligible
children, at rates authorized by subdivision (a), through the
wraparound services program authorized by this chapter, shall not
exceed the costs which would otherwise have been incurred had the
eligible children been placed in a group home.

18255. Any county that applies to, and is granted approval, by the
department may implement a wraparound services program. The number of
service allocation slots assigned to each county shall be determined
by each county and approved by the department.

18256. The department shall work with the County Welfare Directors
Association of California to identify periodic data elements to be
collected in order to track the impact of the counties' wraparound
services programs on applicable California Child and Family Services
Review System outcome indicators, such as safety, permanency, and the
well-being of the child.

18256.5. In order to prevent disruption to a child participating in
a wraparound services program, any county that terminates its
wraparound services program shall ensure the participating child's
service needs are met without disruption until his or her case is
closed.

18257. (a) The State Department of Social Services shall seek
applicable federal approval to make the maximum number of children
being served through such programs eligible for federal financial
participation and amend any applicable state regulations to the
extent necessary to eliminate any limitations on the numbers of
children who can participate in these programs.
(b) Funds from the Mental Health Services Fund shall be made
available to the State Department of Social Services for technical
assistance to counties in establishing and administering projects.
Funding shall include reasonable and necessary administrative costs
in establishing and administering a project pursuant to this chapter
and shall be sufficient to create an incentive for all counties to
seek to establish programs pursuant to this chapter.

18258. (a) A child who is categorically eligible for Medi-Cal
benefits pursuant to Section 1396a(a)(10)(A)(i)(I) of Title 42 of the
United States Code shall remain eligible for Medi-Cal benefits so
long as foster care maintenance payments under Title IV-E of the
federal Social Security Act are made on the child's behalf. Placement
at home without a change in the child's status as an adjudicated
dependent or ward of the juvenile court shall not be cause for a
redetermination unless necessary to obtain federal financial
participation for Medi-Cal.
(b) A child who is eligible for Medi-Cal benefits, but is not
described in subdivision (a), shall remain eligible for benefits
subject to annual Medi-Cal redetermination pursuant to Section 14012.
Placement at home without a change in the child's status as an
adjudicated dependent or ward of the juvenile court shall not be
cause for a redetermination unless necessary to obtain federal
financial participation for Medi-Cal.
(c) Medi-Cal eligibility for a child receiving wraparound services
pursuant to this chapter shall be determined in accordance with the
standards, methodologies, and procedures outlined in Chapter 7
(commencing with Section 14000) of Part 3 of Division 9.
(d) This section is declaratory of existing law.