SECTIONS 5852-5855.5 - California Statutes

WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS CODE

SECTION 5852-5855.5

5852. There is hereby established an interagency system of care for
children with serious emotional and behavioral disturbances that
provides comprehensive, coordinated care based on the demonstration
project under former Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 5575), as
added by Chapter 160 of the Statutes of 1987, and the 1983 State
Department of Mental Health planning model for children's services.
Each participating county shall adapt the model to local needs and
priorities.

5852.5. The department shall review those counties that have been
awarded funds to implement a comprehensive system for the delivery of
mental health services to children with serious emotional
disturbance and to their families or foster families to determine
compliance with either of the following:
(a) The total estimated cost avoidance in all of the following
categories shall equal or exceed the applications for funding award
moneys:
(1) Group home costs paid by Aid to Families with Dependent
Children-Foster Care (AFDC-FC) program.
(2) Children and adolescent state hospital and acute inpatient
programs.
(3) Nonpublic school residential placement costs.
(4) Juvenile justice reincarcerations.
(5) Other short- and long-term savings in public funds resulting
from the applications for funding award moneys.
(b) If the department determines that the total cost avoidance
listed in subdivision (a) does not equal or exceed applications for
funding award amounts, the department shall determine that the county
that has been awarded funding shall achieve substantial compliance
with all of the following goals:
(1) Total cost avoidance in the categories listed in subdivision
(a) to exceed 50 percent of the applications for funding award
moneys.
(2) A 20-percent reduction in out-of-county ordered placements of
juvenile justice wards and social service dependents.
(3) A statistically significant reduction in the rate of
recidivism by juvenile offenders.
(4) A 25-percent reduction in the rate of state hospitalization of
minors from placements of special education pupils.
(5) A 10-percent reduction in out-of-county nonpublic school
residential placements of special education pupils.
(6) Allow at least 50 percent of children at risk of imminent
placement served by the intensive in-home crisis treatment programs,
which are wholly or partially funded by applications for funding
award moneys, to remain at home at least six months.
(7) Statistically significant improvement in school attendance and
academic performance of seriously emotionally disturbed special
education pupils treated in day treatment programs which are wholly
or partially funded by applications for funding award moneys.
(8) Statistically significant increases in services provided in
nonclinic settings among agencies.
(9) Increase in ethnic minority and gender access to services
proportionate to the percentage of these groups in the county's
school-age population.

5853. County participation under this part shall be voluntary.

5854. The State Department of Mental Health may contract with
counties whose programs have been approved by the department and
selected pursuant to Article 4 (commencing with Section 5857). A
county may request to participate under this part each year according
to the terms set forth in Section 5705 for the purpose of
establishing a three-year program proposal for developing and
implementing a children's comprehensive mental health services
system. The contract shall be negotiated on a yearly basis, based on
the scope of work plan for each implementation phase.

5855. The department shall adopt as part of its overall mission the
development of community-based, comprehensive, interagency systems
of care that target seriously emotionally and behaviorally disturbed
children separated from their families or at risk of separation from
their families, as defined in Section 5856. These comprehensive,
interagency systems of care shall seek to provide the highest benefit
to children, their families, and the community at the lowest cost to
the public sector. Essential values shall be as follows:
(a) Family preservation. Children shall be maintained in their
homes with their families whenever possible.
(b) Least restrictive setting. Children shall be placed in the
least restrictive and least costly setting appropriate to their needs
when out-of-home placement is necessary.
(c) Natural setting. Children benefit most from mental health
services in their natural environments, where they live and learn,
such as home, school, foster home, or a juvenile detention center.
(d) Interagency collaboration and a coordinated service delivery
system. The primary child-serving agencies, such as social services,
probation, education, health, and mental health agencies, shall
collaborate at the policy, management, and service levels to provide
a coordinated, goal-directed system of care for seriously emotionally
disturbed children and their families.
(e) Family involvement. Family participation is an integral part
of assessment, intervention, and evaluation.
(f) Cultural competence. Service effectiveness is dependent upon
both culturally relevant and competent service delivery.

5855.5. (a) Projects funded pursuant to Part 4 (commencing with
Section 5850) of Division 5, as added by Chapter 89 of the Statutes
of 1991, shall continue under the terms of this part.
(b) The department shall negotiate with each participating county
to establish appropriate evaluation measures for the county's
children's system of care program after the initial three-year
implementation funding period as established in Section 5854. The
department shall, on an annual basis, negotiate a performance
contract with each county electing to continue its children's system
of care program. The annual performance contract shall be consistent
county to county, and shall include, but not be limited to, a scope
of work plan consistent with the provisions of this part and shall
contain a budget that has sufficient detail to meet the requirements
of the department.