REPORT TITLE:
Youth Services


DESCRIPTION:
Abolishes the youth services centers created, developed, and
operated by the Office of Youth Services (OYS).  Requires OYS to
provide for the creation, coordination, and oversight of
school/community-based youth service centers throughout the
State.  Requires OYS to contract with public or private
providers, or both, to create these centers.  Specifies the
objectives of these centers, the population that is eligible for
these centers, and the responsibilities and duties of these
centers.  Requires each center to establish a board of directors
in accordance with requirements specified by OYS.  Requires the
Departments of Health, Education, and Human Services and OYS to
establish interdepartmental decategorized service accounts for
the creation, coordination, and oversight of these centers.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                H.B. NO.           
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
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                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

RELATING TO YOUTH SERVICES. 


BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1      SECTION 1.  Chapter 352D, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
 2 amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated
 
 3 and to read as follows:
 
 4      "§352D-      School/community-based youth service centers;
 
 5 creation.  (a)  The office shall provide for the creation,
 
 6 coordination, and oversight of school/community-based youth
 
 7 service centers throughout the State.  There shall be five
 
 8 centers in the city and county of Honolulu, two centers in the
 
 9 county of Maui, two centers in the county of Hawaii, and one
 
10 center in the county of Kauai.  The office shall contract with
 
11 public or private providers, or both, to create these centers.
 
12      (b)  The primary objective of these centers shall be the
 
13 delivery of comprehensive, interdisciplinary youth services.  To
 
14 accomplish this primary objective, the centers shall:
 
15      (1)  Develop and implement programs and services to further
 
16           the primary objective, including but not limited to
 
17           programs and services:
 
18           (A)  In adolescent primary health care, with an
 
19                emphasis on establishing school-based health
 
20                centers;
 

 
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 1           (B)  In adolescent mental health, with an emphasis on
 
 2                meeting the State's obligations under judicially
 
 3                imposed or supervised consent decrees;
 
 4           (C)  In career counseling, with an emphasis on
 
 5                promoting vocational education and increasing the
 
 6                effectiveness of school-to-work transition center
 
 7                programs;
 
 8           (D)  For special populations of youths, including but
 
 9                not limited to pregnant and parenting students,
 
10                homeless students, physically disabled students,
 
11                and students in foster care or group homes; and
 
12           (E)  For youths at-risk, status offenders, and
 
13                adjudicated law violators, to assure school
 
14                success, and to coordinate services between the
 
15                family courts, the department of education, and
 
16                other public and private agencies;
 
17           and
 
18      (2)  Develop an integrated system of intake, assessment, and
 
19           referral for youths, regardless of the source of
 
20           referral.
 
21      (c)  The population eligible for services at these centers
 
22 shall be all youths in need of services, including adjudicated
 
23 law violators, status offenders, and persons with psycho-social
 

 
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 1 problems, behavioral problems, physical disabilities, or mental
 
 2 disabilities.  The centers shall develop individualized intake
 
 3 capabilities, program plans, service delivery mechanisms, and
 
 4 comprehensive referral networks.
 
 5      (d)  Each center shall be responsible for coordinating all
 
 6 services, both public and private, to a youth referred to it.
 
 7 Every youth referred to a center, if appropriate, shall be placed
 
 8 with an appropriate service provider and provided services as
 
 9 soon as possible.  The center shall develop procedures to ensure
 
10 that appropriate service providers are available on a twenty-four
 
11 hour basis for each youth.  The center may contract with public
 
12 or private service providers, or both, for these services.
 
13      (e)  Each center shall maintain a registry of every youth
 
14 who is referred to it, and shall monitor and supervise the
 
15 follow-up services that are provided to the youth.  Each center
 
16 shall be primarily responsible for ensuring that the youth is
 
17 fully diverted from the juvenile justice system.
 
18      (f)  Each center shall establish a board of directors in
 
19 accordance with the requirements specified by the office.  Each
 
20 board shall:
 
21      (1)  Serve as the advocate and provide an articulated focus
 
22           for the needs of youths, and disseminate information to
 
23           the public regarding youth services;
 

 
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 1      (2)  Determine the nature, extent, and availability of all
 
 2           services, public and private, for youths at risk in the
 
 3           State;
 
 4      (3)  Determine the need for services to youths within the
 
 5           community, and make recommendations to the office
 
 6           regarding service priorities; and
 
 7      (4)  Promote coordination and collaboration among programs
 
 8           for youth services in public and private agencies, and
 
 9           make recommendations to the appropriate agencies
 
10           regarding service priorities.
 
11      (g)  Nothing in this section shall be construed to make the
 
12 centers established under this section a part of the
 
13 school/community-based management system established under
 
14 chapter 296C."
 
15      SECTION 2.  Section 352D-10, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
16 amended to read as follows:
 
17      "[[]§352D-10[]]  Regional directors; powers, duties, and
 
18 authority.  The executive director shall appoint a regional
 
19 director in each county.  Each regional director shall be exempt
 
20 from chapters 76 and 77, and shall answer to the executive
 
21 director.  The regional director shall:
 
22      (1)  [Oversee] Monitor the school/community-based youth
 
23           [services] service centers located in the director's
 
24           region;
 

 
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 1      (2)  Assist the executive director in coordinating,
 
 2           monitoring, and evaluating all programs and activities
 
 3           operated by the office within its region;
 
 4      (3)  Advise the executive director on any pertinent issue
 
 5           related to the youth service system within the
 
 6           director's region; and
 
 7      (4)  Provide staff support for the regional advisory board
 
 8           located in the director's region." 
 
 9      SECTION 3.  Section 352D-7, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is
 
10 repealed.
 
11      ["[§352D-7]  Youth services centers; creation.(a)
 
12 Beginning July 1, 1991, the office of youth services shall
 
13 create, develop, and operate youth service centers throughout the
 
14 State including one or more in each county.  This may be done
 
15 either directly or by contract with private parties.  Delinquency
 
16 prevention shall be a primary objective of these centers.  The
 
17 population eligible for services at the centers would be all
 
18 youths in need of services.  Centers would also develop
 
19 individualized intake capabilities, program plans, delivery of
 
20 services, and a comprehensive referral network.  The objectives
 
21 of the youth service centers shall be to:
 
22      (1)  Develop and implement programs in delinquency
 
23           prevention;
 

 
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 1      (2)  Provide a wider range of informal dispositions,
 
 2           particularly alternatives to the juvenile justice
 
 3           system;
 
 4      (3)  Develop an improved system of intake, assessment, and
 
 5           follow-up for youths; and
 
 6      (4)  Provide better coordination of juvenile justice and
 
 7           nonjuvenile justice services in order to reduce
 
 8           overlaps and gaps in services.
 
 9      (b)  Each center shall be responsible for coordinating all
 
10 services, justice system or nonjustice system, both public and
 
11 private, to the youth referred to it.
 
12      (c)  Every youth referred to a youth services center shall,
 
13 as soon as possible, be appropriately placed with service
 
14 provider and provided services.  The center shall develop
 
15 procedures which will insure that appropriate service providers
 
16 are available on a twenty-four hour basis for each youth.  The
 
17 center may contract with such service providers for such
 
18 services.
 
19      (d)  Each youth service center shall maintain a registry of
 
20 every youth referred to it and shall monitor and supervise the
 
21 follow-up services that are provided to the youth.  Each center
 
22 shall be primarily responsible to insure that the youth is fully
 
23 diverted from the juvenile justice system."]
 

 
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 1      SECTION 4.  (a)  The departments of health, education, and
 
 2 human services and the office of youth services shall establish
 
 3 interdepartmental decategorized service accounts for the
 
 4 creation, coordination, and oversight of school/community-based
 
 5 youth service centers to deliver mental health, educational, and
 
 6 protective services to multi-problem, multi-service youths;
 
 7 provided that the departments of health, education, and human
 
 8 services and the office of youth services shall:
 
 9      (1)  Transfer appropriate funds into, and expend available
 
10           funds from, the interdepartmental decategorized service
 
11           accounts to meet the individual needs of multi-problem
 
12           and multi-service youths; and
 
13      (2)  Submit a joint report to the legislature on the status
 
14           of each school/community-based youth service center no
 
15           later than ten days prior to the convening of each
 
16           regular session.
 
17      (b)  In the event of a conflict between this section and
 
18 chapter 37, 40, 42D, 103, or 103D, Hawaii Revised Statutes, or
 
19 section 194.1 of Act 287, Session Laws of Hawaii 1996, this
 
20 section shall control; provided that the departments of health,
 
21 education, and human services and the office of youth services
 
22 shall report any such conflict to the legislature no later than
 
23 ten days prior to the convening of each regular session.
 

 
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 1      SECTION 5.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
 2 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $200,000 or so much
 
 3 thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 1999-2000 to create,
 
 4 coordinate, and oversee the centers, established in this Act.
 
 5      SECTION 6.  The sum appropriated shall be expended by the
 
 6 office of youth services for the purposes of this Act.
 
 7      SECTION 7.  Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed.
 
 8 New statutory material is underscored.
 
 9      SECTION 8.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 1999;
 
10 provided that section 4 is repealed on June 30, 2004.
 
11 
 
12                           INTRODUCED BY:  _______________________