H‑0341.1 _____________________________________________
HOUSE BILL 1124
_____________________________________________
State of Washington 57th Legislature 2001 Regular Session
By Representatives Darneille, Morell, Tokuda, Campbell, Hunt, Kagi, Miloscia, Ballasiotes, Veloria, Linville, Dickerson, Edwards, Kenney, O'Brien, Keiser, Edmonds, Schual‑Berke, Jackley, Lovick, Santos, McIntire and Haigh
Read first time 01/18/2001. Referred to Committee on Children & Family Services.
_1 AN ACT Relating to mental health services for children;
_2 amending RCW 71.36.005 and 71.36.030; and adding a new section to
_3 chapter 71.36 RCW.
_4 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
_5 Sec. 1. RCW 71.36.005 and 1991 c 326 s 11 are each amended to read
_6 as follows:
_7 The legislature intends to encourage the development of
_8 community-based interagency collaborative efforts to plan for and
_9 provide mental health services to children in a manner that
10 coordinates existing categorical children's mental health programs
11 and funding, is sensitive to the unique cultural circumstances of
12 children of color, eliminates duplicative case management, and to
13 the greatest extent possible, blends categorical funding to offer
14 more service options to each child.
15 The legislature finds that approximately one in five children
16 experiences the signs and symptoms of mental illness each
17 year. Eleven percent of children experience significant functional
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_1 impairment as a result of these symptoms; five percent experience
_2 extreme functional impairment. Approximately one-half of the people
_3 with mental illness do not receive treatment.
_4 The legislature further finds that reduction of risk,
_5 prevention of onset, and early intervention in childhood are
_6 important strategies to promote healthy development since many
_7 adult mental disorders begin in childhood. Mental health is linked
_8 to general health and classroom performance, and to avoiding
_9 involvement with the juvenile justice system. Untreated mental
10 illness results in more severe symptoms for the individual and
11 more costs to society's human services and law enforcement
12 systems.
13 The legislature intends to oversee the creation,
14 implementation, and funding of a plan that assures that all of
15 Washington's children in need receive prompt and professional
16 mental health services by the year 2006.
17 Sec. 2. RCW 71.36.030 and 1991 c 326 s 14 are each amended to read
18 as follows:
19 (1) On or before January 1, 1992, each regional support
20 network, or county authority in counties that have not established
21 a regional support network, shall initiate a local planning effort
22 to develop a children's mental health services delivery system.
23 (2) Representatives of the following agencies or organizations
24 and the following individuals shall participate in the local
25 planning effort:
26 (a) Representatives of the department of social and health
27 services in the following program areas: Children and family
28 services, medical care, mental health, juvenile rehabilitation,
29 alcohol and substance abuse, and developmental disabilities;
30 (b) The juvenile courts;
31 (c) The public health department or health district;
32 (d) The school districts;
33 (e) The educational service district serving schools in the
34 county;
35 (f) Head start or early childhood education and assistance
36 programs;
37 (g) Community action agencies; and
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_1 (h) Children's services providers, including minority mental
_2 health providers.
_3 (3) Parents of children in need of mental health services and
_4 parents of children of color shall be invited to participate in
_5 the local planning effort.
_6 (4) The following information shall be developed through the
_7 local planning effort and submitted to the secretary:
_8 (a) A supplement to the county's January 1, 1991, children's
_9 mental health services report prepared pursuant to RCW 71.24.049
10 to include the following data:
11 (i) The number of children in need of mental health services in
12 the county or counties covered by the local planning effort,
13 including children in school and children receiving services
14 through the department of social and health services division of
15 children and family services, division of developmental
16 disabilities, division of alcohol and substance abuse, and
17 division of juvenile rehabilitation, grouped by severity of their
18 mental illness;
19 (ii) The number of such children that are underserved or
20 unserved and the types of services needed by such children; and
21 (iii) The supply of children's mental health specialists in the
22 county or counties covered by the local planning effort.
23 (b) A children's mental health services delivery plan that
24 includes a description of the following:
25 (i) Children that will be served, giving consideration to
26 children who are at significant risk of experiencing mental
27 illness, as well as those already experiencing mental illness;
28 (ii) How appropriate services needed by children served through
29 the plan will be identified and provided, including prevention and
30 identification services;
31 (iii) How a lead case manager for each child will be
32 identified;
33 (iv) How funding for existing services will be coordinated to
34 create more flexibility in meeting children's needs. Such funding
35 shall include the services and programs inventoried pursuant to
36 RCW 71.36.020(1);
37 (v) How the children's mental health delivery system will
38 incorporate the elements of the early periodic screening,
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_1 diagnosis, and treatment services plan developed pursuant to RCW
_2 71.36.020(2); and
_3 (vi) How the children's mental health delivery system will
_4 coordinate with the regional support network information system
_5 developed pursuant to RCW 71.24.035(5)(g).
_6 (5) In developing the children's mental health services
_7 delivery plan, every effort shall be made to reduce duplication in
_8 service delivery and promote complementary services among all
_9 entities that provide children's services related to mental
10 health.
11 (6) The children's mental health services delivery plan shall
12 address the needs of children of color through at least the
13 following mechanisms:
14 (a) Outreach initiatives, services, and modes of service
15 delivery that meet the unique needs of children of color; and
16 (b) Services to children of color that are culturally relevant
17 and acceptable, as well as linguistically accessible.
18 (7) The regional support networks shall biannually update the
19 information in the children=s mental health services delivery plan
20 described in subsection (4) of this section. The updates shall
21 include a progress assessment based on the goals of the previous
22 plan. The revised plans shall be submitted to the secretary, who
23 shall compile the information in the individual plans into a
24 statewide report to be submitted to the relevant committees of the
25 legislature by July 1, 2002, and biannually thereafter.
26 NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 71.36
27 RCW to read as follows:
28 The joint legislative audit and review committee shall conduct
29 a comprehensive review of the provisions of this chapter. The
30 review shall be submitted to the appropriate committees of the
31 legislature by July 1, 2002. The review shall include:
32 (1) An evaluation of both the inventory of services and early
33 periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment plan described in RCW
34 71.36.020. The evaluation of the inventory of services shall
35 include an assessment of the completeness of the inventory;
36 recommendations for modifying the current statutory requirements
37 related to the inventory; and recommendations for the
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_1 dissemination and uses of the inventory. The evaluation of the
_2 early periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment plan shall
_3 include an assessment of the completeness of the plan; an
_4 evaluation of the implementation of the plan; and an assessment of
_5 modifications needed to assure that federal funding is maximized;
_6 and
_7 (2) An evaluation of the effectiveness of the implementation of
_8 the children=s mental health services delivery plan described in
_9 RCW 71.36.030. The evaluation shall include an assessment of the
10 overall needs of children with mental illness and the continuum of
11 resources available to them. The evaluation also shall include
12 recommendations for modifications to the children=s mental health
13 services delivery system and the funding necessary to meet the
14 needs of these children by the year 2006.
‑‑‑ END ‑‑‑
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