NOTE: As provided in LFC policy, this report is intended for use by the standing finance committees of the legislature.  The Legislative Finance Committee does not assume responsibility for the accuracy of the information in this report when used in any other situation.

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SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

A memorial resolving that the Children, Youth and Families Department (CYFD) make substantial efforts to represent the abused and neglected children in its custody, particularly in efforts to ensure that medicaid managed care provides adequate behavioral health care, especially treatment foster care, to permit these children to recover from their traumatic experience and become healthy, productive citizens.

Significant Issues

The Citizens Review Board in its Year 2001 report finds that there is a lack of behavioral health services for children in need of treatment foster care. This, coupled with a high turnover in social workers assigned to cases, causes incomplete treatment plans that compound problems within medicaid managed care. As the agency responsible for ensuring that children that have been referred to their agency receive proper care and treatment, CYFD is asked to improve their efforts in the area of treatment foster care.

PERFORMANCE IMPLICATIONS

Improved performance in this area is in part reflected in the CYFD performance measure relating to social worker turnover rates.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

CYFD will have to determine methods for analyzing the problems in behavioral health medicaid managed care for treatment foster care and work with the Human Services Department to improve services.

RELATIONSHIP

This memorial is in part related to issues raised in SB 641.

GAC/ar