Report Title:

Youth services

 

Description:

Repeals the youth services centers and creates the school/community-based youth services center within the office of youth services to deliver comprehensive, interdisciplinary youth services.

 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

287

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2001

  

STATE OF HAWAII

  

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

relating to youth services.

 

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

SECTION 1. Chapter 352D, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§352D-     School/community-based youth service centers; creation. (a) The office shall provide for the creation, coordination, and oversight of school/community-based youth service centers throughout the State. There shall be:

(1) Five centers in the city and county of Honolulu;

(2) Two centers in the county of Maui;

(3) Two centers in the county of Hawaii; and

(4) One center in the county of Kauai.

The office shall contract with public or private providers, or both, to create these centers.

(b) The primary objective of these centers shall be the delivery of comprehensive, interdisciplinary youth services. To accomplish this primary objective, the centers shall:

(1) Develop and implement programs and services to further the primary objective, including but not limited to programs and services:

(A) In adolescent primary health care, with an emphasis on establishing school-based health centers;

(B) In adolescent mental health, with an emphasis on meeting the State's obligations under judicially imposed or supervised consent decrees;

(C) In career counseling, with an emphasis on promoting vocational education and increasing the effectiveness of school-to-work transition center programs;

(D) For special populations of youths, including but not limited to pregnant and parenting students, homeless students, physically disabled students, and students in foster care or group homes; and

(E) For youths at-risk, status offenders, and adjudicated law violators, to assure school success and to coordinate services between the family courts, the department of education, and other public and private agencies;

and

(2) Develop an integrated system of intake, assessment, and referral for youths, regardless of the source of referral.

(c) The population eligible for services at these centers shall be all youths in need of services, including adjudicated law violators, status offenders, and persons with psychosocial problems, behavioral problems, physical disabilities, or mental disabilities. The centers shall develop individualized intake capabilities, program plans, service delivery mechanisms, and comprehensive referral networks.

(d) Each center shall be responsible for coordinating all services, both public and private, to a youth referred to it. Every youth referred to a center, if appropriate, shall be placed with an appropriate service provider and provided services as soon as possible. The center shall develop procedures to ensure that appropriate service providers are available on a twenty-four hour basis for each youth. The center may contract with public or private service providers, or both, for these services.

(e) Each center shall maintain a registry of every youth who is referred to it, and shall monitor and supervise the follow-up services that are provided to the youth. Each center shall be primarily responsible for ensuring that the youth is fully diverted from the juvenile justice system.

(f) Each center shall establish a board of directors in accordance with the requirements specified by the office. Each board shall:

(1) Serve as the advocate and provide an articulated focus for the needs of youths, and disseminate information to the public regarding youth services;

(2) Determine the nature, extent, and availability of all services, public and private, for youths at risk in the State;

(3) Determine the need for services to youths within the community, and make recommendations to the office regarding service priorities; and

(4) Promote coordination and collaboration among programs for youth services in public and private agencies, and make recommendations to the appropriate agencies regarding service priorities.

(g) Nothing in this section shall be construed to make the centers established under this section a part of the school/community-based management system established under chapter 296C."

SECTION 2. Section 352D-10, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"[[]§352D-10[]] Regional directors; powers, duties, and authority. The executive director shall appoint a regional director in each county. Each regional director shall be exempt from chapters 76 and 77, and shall answer to the executive director. The regional director shall:

(1) [Oversee] Monitor the school/community-based youth [services] service centers located in the director's region;

(2) Assist the executive director in coordinating, monitoring, and evaluating all programs and activities operated by the office within its region;

(3) Advise the executive director on any pertinent issue related to the youth service system within the director's region; and

(4) Provide staff support for the regional advisory board located in the director's region."

SECTION 3. Section 352D-7, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is repealed.

["[§352D-7] Youth services centers; creation. (a) Beginning July 1, 1991, the office of youth services shall create, develop, and operate youth service centers throughout the State including one or more in each county. This may be done either directly or by contract with private parties. Delinquency prevention shall be a primary objective of these centers. The population eligible for services at the centers would be all youths in need of services. Centers would also develop individualized intake capabilities, program plans, delivery of services, and a comprehensive referral network. The objectives of the youth service centers shall be to:

(1) Develop and implement programs in delinquency prevention;

(2) Provide a wider range of informal dispositions, particularly alternatives to the juvenile justice system;

(3) Develop an improved system of intake, assessment, and follow-up for youths; and

(4) Provide better coordination of juvenile justice and nonjuvenile justice services in order to reduce overlaps and gaps in services.

(b) Each center shall be responsible for coordinating all services, justice system or nonjustice system, both public and private, to the youth referred to it.

(c) Every youth referred to a youth services center shall, as soon as possible, be appropriately placed with service provider and provided services. The center shall develop procedures which will insure that appropriate service providers are available on a twenty-four hour basis for each youth. The center may contract with such service providers for such services.

(d) Each youth service center shall maintain a registry of every youth referred to it and shall monitor and supervise the follow-up services that are provided to the youth. Each center shall be primarily responsible to insure that the youth is fully diverted from the juvenile justice system."]

SECTION 4. (a) The departments of health, education, and human services and the office of youth services shall establish interdepartmental decategorized service accounts for the creation, coordination, and oversight of school/community-based youth service centers to deliver mental health, educational, and protective services to multi-problem, multi-service youths; provided that the departments of health, education, and human services and the office of youth services shall:

(1) Transfer appropriate funds into, and expend available funds from, the interdepartmental decategorized service accounts to meet the individual needs of multi-problem and multi-service youths; and

(2) Submit a joint report to the legislature on the status of each school/community-based youth service center no later than ten days prior to the convening of each regular session.

(b) In the event of a conflict between this section and chapter 37, 40, 42F, 103, 103D, or 103F, Hawaii Revised Statutes, or section 194.1 of Act 287, Session Laws of Hawaii 1996, this section shall control; provided that the departments of health, education, and human services and the office of youth services shall report any such conflict to the legislature no later than ten days prior to the convening of each regular session.

SECTION 5. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $200,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2001-2002 to create, coordinate, and oversee the centers, established in this Act.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the office of youth services for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 6. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 8. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2001; provided that section 4 is repealed on June 30, 2006.

INTRODUCED BY:

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