BILL REQ. #:  H-4409.1 

READ FIRST TIME 01/27/06.   

     AN ACT Relating to establishing a pilot program to facilitate delivery of evidence-based practice mental health treatment to children; and adding a new section to chapter 71.24 RCW.

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

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   A new section is added to chapter 71.24 RCW to read as follows:
     (1) To the extent funding is appropriated in the operating budget, the mental health division of the health and recovery services administration, in collaboration with the children's administration, within the department shall establish a pilot program to support collaborative local efforts to select, implement, and ensure quality evidence-based mental health services provided to children by December 2006.
     (a) The program sites shall be selected through a request for proposal process which shall begin by July 2006. The pilot program shall consist of four sites, with at least one site located in eastern Washington.
     (b) The request for proposal shall include the specific criteria listed in subsection (2) of this section, in order to qualify for the pilot program. The request for proposal shall include a list of examples of specific evidence-based mental health service options from which pilot program sites may choose as the mental health service or services they will deliver.
     (2) Any county, or group of counties, may submit a proposal to be selected as a pilot site. In order to be considered for a pilot site, the proposal shall demonstrate how the site will meet the following criteria. The proposal shall:
     (a) Designate the lead agency for the program. The lead agency is not required to be a state agency or a regional support network. The lead agency may be any public or private agency capable of meeting the requirements of this section;
     (b) Describe how the lead agency shall work with community partners to implement the pilot program activities described in this section. The proposal shall specifically identify the community partners with whom the agency will be collaborating and the role of the partners. The community partners must include, at a minimum, representatives of the local mental health, juvenile justice, and child welfare systems, as well as representatives of families of children in need of mental health services. Community partners may, but are not required to, include representatives from other child-serving systems such as health care and education;
     (c) Identify the areas of potential need based upon input from the community partners;
     (d) Identify the evidence-based mental health service or services that will be implemented in the area served by the pilot program based upon community needs and resources. The service or services to be provided must be selected from a list of evidence-based service options developed by the department, in consultation with a broadly representative group of individuals with expertise in children's mental health services. After evidence-based services have been established, the department may consider expanding the list of service options to include promising practices. The department shall consult with a broadly representative group of individuals with expertise in children's mental health services to develop the list of promising practices. In choosing promising practices, the department shall strongly consider those practices that have shown promise in treating children of color;
     (e) Identify the resources within the community that might support training for the implementation of the selected evidence-based service or services; and
     (f) Identify resources within the community that are able to support quality assurance activities to monitor fidelity to the evidence-based service or services that are implemented, and track outcomes for children receiving those services.
     (3) The department shall utilize one or more agencies or programs outside of the department to provide support and assistance in initiating, implementing, and monitoring the pilot program. The department shall select agencies or programs to provide assistance that have experience with evidence-based mental health practices for children to provide support and assistance in all phases of the pilot program, including initiating, implementing, and monitoring the pilot program. Support and assistance shall include provider training related to the evidence-based practices chosen by the pilot program sites, and quality assurance to ensure adherence to evidence-based practice.
     (4) Beginning in July 2007, the Washington state institute for public policy shall conduct a study of the pilot program measuring improvements in the delivery of mental health services to children. The study shall include, at a minimum, an assessment of the outcomes and cost-effectiveness of the evidence-based practices implemented through the program, including consideration of outcomes related to hospital utilization, residential or out-of-home placements, utilization of child welfare services, school attendance, and involvement in the juvenile justice system. The institute shall issue a report containing its preliminary findings to the legislature by December 1, 2007, and a final report by December 1, 2008.
     (5) Implementation of this program is subject to the availability of funds.