TITLE 42
State Affairs and Government
CHAPTER 42-72.7
Coordination of Children's Community Social Services, Education, and Mental
Health Services Pilot Program
SECTION 42-72.7-5
§ 42-72.7-5 Funding.
(a) There is established a fund within the department of children, youth, and
families to be allocated to each of the two (2) pilot program local
coordinating councils in Pawtucket/Central Falls and Washington County. This
fund shall be comprised of the proportional share of funds utilized during the
current fiscal year for the residential treatment of children who reside in the
communities which comprise each of the two (2) pilot program local coordinating
councils, which treatment is required not due to abuse or neglect of those
children. The sources of these funds will include those funds previously
utilized by the department of children, youth, and families, the department of
elementary and secondary education, the department of mental health,
retardation, and hospitals, the department of human services, or other agency
of state government which receives state or federal funds for children, and
state education funds distributed to local education authorities, to meet the
programming needs of the children who are receiving residential services, not
due to abuse or neglect, and who are residents of the communities which
comprise each of the two (2) pilot program local coordinating councils. This
fund shall be assigned on a proportional basis to the two (2) pilot program
local coordinating councils. This fund shall be expended for public or private
nonresidential or residential services for children and their families who
reside in the communities which comprise each of the two (2) pilot program
local coordinating councils, and who are in need of education, care, and
treatment.
(b) The principles and purposes of organizing the locally
administered merged funding for coordinated community social service,
education, and mental health services for children in need of education, care,
and treatment and their families are as follows:
(1) To place authority for making program and funding
decisions at the community level;
(2) To consolidate categorical funding and institute
community responsibility for the provision of a full continuum of services;
(3) To provide flexibility in the use of funds to purchase
services based on the strengths and needs of children in need of education,
care, and treatment and their families;
(4) To reduce disparity in accessing services and to reduce
fiscal incentives for serving children in particular placements and services
not necessarily directly responsive to their identified individual needs;
(5) To ensure that the funding "follows the child" and that
any savings realized through the implementation of this chapter be applied to
the continuing development and refinement of an appropriate continuum of
community-based children's services;
(6) To ensure that funding of services for children in need
of education, care, and treatment and their families is based upon the
achievement of specific agreed upon performance outcomes for children and
families receiving those services; and
(7) To create an equitable, stable, and consistent allocation
of funding responsibility between state and local governmental agencies sharing
responsibility for children and families.
History of Section.
(P.L. 1998, ch. 69, § 1; P.L. 1998, ch. 415, § 1.)
