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Section 121.37 | Ohio family and children first cabinet council.

Ohio Revised Code
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Title 1 State Government
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Chapter 121 State Departments
 
You are viewing a past version of this section that is no longer in effect View Current Version
Effective:
July 1, 2000
Legislation:
House Bill 471 - 123rd General Assembly
PDF:
Download Authenticated PDF
 

(A)(1) There is hereby created the Ohio family and children first cabinet council. The council shall be composed of the superintendent of public instruction and the directors of youth services, job and family services, mental health, health, alcohol and drug addiction services, mental retardation and developmental disabilities, and budget and management. The chairperson of the council shall be the governor or the governor's designee and shall establish procedures for the council's internal control and management.

(2) The purpose of the cabinet council is to help families seeking government services. This section shall not be interpreted or applied to usurp the role of parents, but solely to streamline and coordinate existing government services for families seeking assistance for their children.

In seeking to fulfill its purpose, the council may do any of the following:

(a) Advise and make recommendations to the governor and general assembly regarding the provision of services to children;

(b) Advise and assess local governments on the coordination of service delivery to children;

(c) Hold meetings at such times and places as may be prescribed by the council's procedures and maintain records of the meetings, except that records identifying individual children are confidential and shall be disclosed only as provided by law;

(d) Develop programs and projects, including pilot projects, to encourage coordinated efforts at the state and local level to improve the state's social service delivery system;

(e) Enter into contracts with and administer grants to county family and children first councils, as well as other county or multicounty organizations to plan and coordinate service delivery between state agencies and local service providers for families and children;

(f) Enter into contracts with and apply for grants from federal agencies or private organizations;

(g) Enter into interagency agreements to encourage coordinated efforts at the state and local level to improve the state's social service delivery system. The agreements may include provisions regarding the receipt, transfer, and expenditure of funds.

(3) The cabinet council shall provide for the following:

(a) Reviews of service and treatment plans for children for which such reviews are requested;

(b) Assistance as the council determines to be necessary to meet the needs of children referred by county family and children first councils;

(c) Monitoring and supervision of a statewide, comprehensive, coordinated, multi-disciplinary, interagency system for infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities or delays and their families, as established pursuant to federal grants received and administered by the department of health for early intervention services under the "Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1986," 100 Stat. 1145 (1986), 20 U.S.C.A. 1471, as amended.

(B)(1) Each county shall establish a county family and children first council. A county may invite any local public or private agency or group that funds, advocates, or provides services to children and families to have a representative become a permanent or temporary member of its county council. Each county council must include the following individuals:

(a) At least three individuals whose families are or have received services from an agency represented on the council or another county's council. Where possible, the number of members representing families shall be equal to twenty per cent of the council's membership.

(b) The director of the board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services that serves the county, or, in the case of a county that has a board of alcohol and drug addiction services and a community mental health board, the directors of both boards. If a board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services covers more than one county, the director may designate a person to participate on the county's council.

(c) The health commissioner, or the commissioner's designee, of the board of health of each city and general health district in the county. If the county has two or more health districts, the health commissioner membership may be limited to the commissioners of the two districts with the largest populations.

(d) The director of the county department of job and family services;

(e) The executive director of the county agency responsible for the administration of children services pursuant to section 5153.15 of the Revised Code;

(f) The superintendent of the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities;

(g) The county's juvenile court judge senior in service or another judge of the juvenile court designated by the administrative judge or, where there is no administrative judge, by the judge senior in service;

(h) The superintendent of the city, exempted village, or local school district with the largest number of pupils residing in the county, as determined by the department of education, which shall notify each county of its determination at least biennially;

(i) A school superintendent representing all other school districts with territory in the county, as designated at a biennial meeting of the superintendents of those districts;

(j) A representative of the municipal corporation with the largest population in the county;

(k) The chair of the board of county commissioners, or an individual designated by the board;

(l) A representative of the regional office of the department of youth services;

(m) A representative of the county's head start agencies, as defined in section 3301.31 of the Revised Code;

(n) A representative of the county's early intervention collaborative established pursuant to the federal early intervention program operated under the "Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1986";

(o) A representative of a local nonprofit entity that funds, advocates, or provides services to children and families.

Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the public members of a county council are not prohibited from serving on the council and making decisions regarding the duties of the council, including those involving the funding of joint projects and those outlined in the county's service coordination mechanism implemented pursuant to division (C) of this section.

The cabinet council shall establish a state appeals process to resolve disputes among the members of a county council concerning whether reasonable responsibilities as members are being shared. The appeals process may be accessed only by a majority vote of the council members who are required to serve on the council. Upon appeal, the cabinet council may order that state funds for services to children and families be redirected to a county's board of county commissioners.

(2) A county council shall provide for the following:

(a) Referrals to the cabinet council of those children for whom the county council cannot provide adequate services;

(b) Development and implementation of a process that annually evaluates and prioritizes services, fills service gaps where possible, and invents new approaches to achieve better results for families and children;

(c) Participation in the development of a countywide, comprehensive, coordinated, multi-disciplinary, interagency system for infants and toddlers with developmental disabilities or delays and their families, as established pursuant to federal grants received and administered by the department of health for early intervention services under the "Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1986";

(d) Maintenance of an accountability system to monitor the county council's progress in achieving results for families and children;

(e) Establishment of a mechanism to ensure ongoing input from a broad representation of families who are receiving services within the county system.

(3)(a) Except as provided in division (B)(3)(b) of this section, a county council shall comply with the policies, procedures, and activities prescribed by the rules or interagency agreements of a state department participating on the cabinet council whenever the county council performs a function subject to those rules or agreements.

(b) On application of a county council, the cabinet council may grant an exemption from any rules or interagency agreements of a state department participating on the council if an exemption is necessary for the council to implement an alternative program or approach for service delivery to families and children. The application shall describe the proposed program or approach and specify the rules or interagency agreements from which an exemption is necessary. The cabinet council shall approve or disapprove the application in accordance with standards and procedures it shall adopt. If an application is approved, the exemption is effective only while the program or approach is being implemented, including a reasonable period during which the program or approach is being evaluated for effectiveness.

(4) Each county council shall designate an administrative agent for the council from among the following public entities: the board of alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services, including a board of alcohol and drug addiction or a community mental health board if the county is served by separate boards; the board of county commissioners; any board of health of the county's city and general health districts; the county department of job and family services; the county agency responsible for the administration of children services pursuant to section 5153.15 of the Revised Code; the county board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities; any of the county's boards of education or governing boards of educational service centers; or the county's juvenile court. Any of the foregoing public entities, other than the board of county commissioners, may decline to serve as the council's administrative agent.

A county council's administrative agent shall serve as the council's appointing authority. The council shall file an annual budget with its administrative agent, with copies filed with the county auditor and with the board of county commissioners, unless the board is serving as the council's administrative agent. The council's administrative agent shall ensure that all expenditures are handled in accordance with policies, procedures, and activities prescribed by state departments in rules or interagency agreements that are applicable to the council's functions.

The administrative agent for a county council may do any of the following on behalf of the council:

(a) Enter into agreements or administer contracts with public or private entities to fulfill specific council business. Such agreements and contracts are exempt from the competitive bidding requirements of section 307.86 of the Revised Code if they have been approved by the county council and they are for the purchase of family and child welfare or child protection services or other social or job and family services for families and children. The approval of the county council is not required to exempt agreements or contracts entered into under section 5139.34, 5139.41, or 5139.43 of the Revised Code from the competitive bidding requirements of section 307.86 of the Revised Code.

(b) As determined by the council, provide financial stipends, reimbursements, or both, to family representatives for expenses related to council activity;

(c) Receive by gift, grant, devise, or bequest any moneys, lands, or other property for the purposes for which the council is established. The agent shall hold, apply, and dispose of the moneys, lands, or other property according to the terms of the gift, grant, devise, or bequest. Any interest or earnings shall be treated in the same manner and are subject to the same terms as the gift, grant, devise, or bequest from which it accrues.

(5) Two or more county councils may enter into an agreement to administer their county councils jointly by creating a regional family and children first council. A regional council possesses the same duties and authority possessed by a county council, except that the duties and authority apply regionally rather than to individual counties. Prior to entering into an agreement to create a regional council, the members of each county council to be part of the regional council shall meet to determine whether all or part of the members of each county council will serve as members of the regional council.

(6) A board of county commissioners may approve a resolution by a majority vote of the board's members that requires the county council to submit a statement to the board each time the council proposes to enter into an agreement, adopt a plan, or make a decision, other than a decision pursuant to section 121.38 of the Revised Code, that requires the expenditure of funds for two or more families. The statement shall describe the proposed agreement, plan, or decision.

Not later than fifteen days after the board receives the statement, it shall, by resolution approved by a majority of its members, approve or disapprove the agreement, plan, or decision. Failure of the board to pass a resolution during that time period shall be considered approval of the agreement, plan, or decision.

An agreement, plan, or decision for which a statement is required to be submitted to the board shall be implemented only if it is approved by the board.

(C) Each county shall develop a county service coordination mechanism. The mechanism shall be developed and approved with the participation of the county entities representing child welfare; mental retardation and developmental disabilities; alcohol, drug addiction, and mental health services; health; juvenile judges; education; the county family and children first council; and the county early intervention collaborative established pursuant to the federal early intervention program operated under the "Education of the Handicapped Act Amendments of 1986." The county shall establish an implementation schedule for the mechanism. The cabinet council may monitor the implementation and administration of each county's service coordination mechanism.

Each mechanism shall include all of the following:

(1) A procedure for assessing the needs of any child, including a child who is an abused, neglected, dependent, unruly, or delinquent child and under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court or a child whose parent or custodian is voluntarily seeking services;

(2) A procedure for assessing the service needs of the family of any child, including a child who is an abused, neglected, dependent, unruly, or delinquent child and under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court or a child whose parent or custodian is voluntarily seeking services;

(3) A procedure for development of a comprehensive joint service plan designating service responsibilities among the various state and local agencies that provide services to children and their families, including children who are abused, neglected, dependent, unruly, or delinquent children and under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court and children whose parents or custodians are voluntarily seeking services;

(4) A local dispute resolution process to serve as the process that must be used first to resolve disputes among the agencies represented on the county council concerning the provision of services to children, including children who are abused, neglected, dependent, unruly, or delinquent children and under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court and children whose parents or custodians are voluntarily seeking services. The local dispute resolution process shall comply with section 121.38 of the Revised Code. The cabinet council shall adopt rules in accordance with Chapter 119. of the Revised Code establishing an administrative review process to address problems that arise concerning the operation of a local dispute resolution process.

Last updated August 31, 2023 at 1:14 PM

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