LA County Board

3. Supports for Youth with Complex Care Needs\nRecommendation as submitted by Supervisors Barger and Hahn: Instruct\nCounty Counsel, and the Director of Children and Family Services, in\ncollaboration with the Chief Executive Officer and the Executive Director of the\nOffice of Child Protection, and in consultation with the Directors of Health\nServices, Public Health and Mental Health, and the Chief Probation Officer, to\nreport back to the Board in writing in 60 days on the feasibility of conducting an\nexpedited solicitation to increase the number of beds available on an\nemergency basis by contracting with a service provider(s) who has proven\nexpertise working with system impacted individuals with complex health,\nbehavioral health, and mental health needs, including considerations to explore\nrequiring selected service provider(s) to implement a “no reject, no eject”\npolicy, including incentives for implementing such a policy, seeking a\nprovider(s) with the ability to provide medication assisted substance use\ntreatment, or other novel substance use treatment modalities to youth, an update\non the County’s Children’s Crisis Continuum Pilot and the necessity for a\nprovider to provide crisis stabilization settings and services on a 24-hour basis,\nand options to delegate authority to the Director of Children and Family\nServices and the Chief Probation Officer, to execute, amend, increase or\ndecrease the contract amounts by 10%, and terminate contracts with any\nselected vendor, as needed, for a term of up to three years, with two one-year\nextension options; and take the following actions:\nInstruct the Office of Child Protection System of Care (Directors of\nHealth Services, Mental Health, Public Health, and Children and Family\nServices, and the Chief Probation Officer, etc.) in collaboration with the\nChief Executive Officer, to report back to the Board in writing in 60 days\nwith recommendations to identify any returned funds to the State, and\nestablish a fund dedicated to continuum of services for complex care\nyouth that is comprised of immediate crisis response such as a\ndedicated psychiatric mobile response team, earmarked beds for\ntemporary hospitalization and subacute mental health beds, and external\nsupports to existing congregate care providers that are designed to help\npreserve placements, particularly during times of crisis;\nDirect the Chief Executive Officer, in partnership with the Directors of\nChildren and Family Services and Mental Health, and in collaboration\nwith all relevant County Department Heads including, but not limited to,\nthe Chief Probation Officer, Directors of Youth Development, Public\nHealth, and Health Services, to build upon the Department’s of Children\nand Family Services (DCFS’s) and Mental Health’s “strike team” model to\nestablish Countywide complex care teams comprised of designated staff\nfrom each Department to develop a written crisis protocol to ensure\ncontinuity of care and case management for each individual complex\ncare youth;\nInstruct the Director of Children and Family Services, in collaboration\nwith the Chief Executive Officer, to report back to the Board in writing in\n60 days with a plan and cost estimate to expand the DCFS Placement\nStabilization Team; and\nDirect the Chief Executive Officer, through the Legislative Affairs and\nIntergovernmental Relations Branch, to advocate in support of legislation\nand funding that would allow courts and the counties to utilize secure\nhousing sites that provide psychological and psychiatric care to youth as\na placement disposition without requiring a referral to the youth\njustice/criminal court, increase State payment rates for Short Term\nResidential Therapeutic Programs, and remove any barriers or\nrestrictions that have arisen due to the Institution of Mental Disease bed\nrestriction issue. (23-3810)\nAttachments: Motion by Supervisors Barger and Hahn\nPublic Comment/Correspondence