Children and Youth Behavioral Health Work Group.
The children and youth behavioral health work group (work group) was established to identify barriers to and opportunities for accessing behavioral health services for children and their families and advise the Legislature on statewide behavioral health services for those children and families.  There are 38 members of this work group, including legislators, representatives from state agencies, providers, parent and child representatives, and advocates.

The co-chairs of the work group are selected by the work group members and must include one legislative member and one executive branch member.

At the direction of the co-chairs of the work group, the work group may convene advisory groups to evaluate specific issues and report related findings and recommendations to the full work group.  The work group is required to convene an advisory group focused on school-based behavioral health and suicide prevention.

The work group must submit annual recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature.  

Children and Youth Behavioral Health Work Group.
A representative of a Medicaid managed care organization providing managed care to children and youth receiving child welfare services is added as a member of the work group.

The maximum number of meetings of the work group is increased from four to six meetings.

Members of the work group or advisory groups established by the work group with lived experience may receive a stipend of up to $200 per day if the member participates in the meeting and does not receive compensation from the member's employer or contractor for participation in the meeting.

Strategic Plan Advisory Group.
The work group is required to convene an advisory group for the purpose of developing a draft strategic plan describing:

• the current landscape of behavioral health services available to families in the perinatal phase, children and youth transitioning into adulthood, and the caregivers of those children and youth;
• the vision for the behavioral health service delivery system for families in the perinatal phase, children and youth transitioning into adulthood, and the caregivers of those children and youth; and
• a comparison of the current behavioral health system for families in the perinatal phase, children and youth transitioning into adulthood, and the caregivers of those children and youth and the vision created by the strategic planning process.

The work group co-chairs may invite nonwork group members to participate as advisory group members, but the strategic plan advisory group must include, at a minimum:

• community members with lived experience;
• a representative from the Department of Children, Youth, and Families;
• a representative from the Department of Social and Health Services;
• a representative from the Health Care Authority (HCA);
• a representative from the Department of Health;
• a representative from the Office of Homeless Youth Prevention and Protection Programs;
• a representative from the Office of the Governor;
• a representative from the Developmental Disability Administration;
• a representative from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction;
• a representative from the Office of the Insurance Commissioner;
• a tribal representative;
• two legislative members or alternates from the work group; and
• individuals invited by the work group co-chairs with relevant subject matter expertise.

The HCA must conduct competitive procurements to select a third party facilitator to facilitate the strategic plan advisory group.  The HCA must also select, in consultation with the work group co-chairs, an entity to conduct:

• a behavioral health landscape analysis for families in the perinatal phase, children and youth transitioning into adulthood, and the caregivers of those children and youth;
• a gap analysis estimating the prevalence of needs for behavioral health services for families in the perinatal phase, children and youth transitioning into adulthood, and the caregivers of those children and youth; and
• an analysis of peer-reviewed publications, evidence-based practices, and other existing practices and guidelines with preferred outcomes regarding the delivery of behavioral health services to families in the perinatal phase, children and youth transitioning into adulthood, and the caregivers of those children and youth.

The strategic plan advisory group must:

• hold its first meeting by September 1, 2022;
• provide a progress report on the development of the strategic plan to be included in the work group's 2022 and 2023 annual reports; and
• provide a draft of the strategic plan to the work group by October 1, 2024.

The work group must discuss the draft strategic plan and adopt a final strategic plan that must be that must be submitted to the Governor and the Legislature by November 1, 2024.