§15002. Children's Mental Health Program established
The Children's Mental Health Program is established to identify children with mental health needs and to improve the provision of mental health care to children and supportive services to their families. The program must track the provision of care and services, the progress of the departments in providing care and services, the development of new resources for care and services and the use of all types of funds used for the purposes of this chapter, including funds from the departments' own budgets or through blended, pooled or flexible funding. The program is child and family-centered, focusing on the strengths and needs of the child and the child's family and providing care to meet those needs. The program is intended to create a structure for coordination of children's mental health care provided by the departments. The program does not create any new entitlements to care or services and does not diminish any entitlements granted by state or federal law, rule or regulation. The program is under the supervision of the commissioner and a director of children's mental health services, who has lead responsibility for implementation, monitoring and oversight of the program. [1997, c. 790, Pt. A, §1 (NEW); 1997, c. 790, Pt. A, §3 (AFF).]