Collaborative Management of Multi-agency Services Provided to Children and Families

C.R.S. tit. 24, art. 1.9
in effect

C.R.S. § 24-1.9-101 Legislative declaration

24-1.9-101. Legislative declaration. (1) The general assembly hereby finds that children and families often benefit from treatment and services that involve multiple agencies, divisions, units, and sections of departments at the state and county level. (2) The general assembly further finds that the development of a uniform system of collaborative management is necessary for agencies at the state and county levels to effectively and efficiently collaborate to share resources or to manage and integrate the treatment and services provided to children and families who would benefit from multi-agency services. (3) (a) The development of a more uniform system of collaborative management that includes the input, expertise, and active participation of parent advocacy or family advocacy organizations may reduce duplication and eliminate fragmentation of services; increase the quality, appropriateness, and effectiveness of services provided; encourage cost sharing among service providers; and ultimately lead to better outcomes and cost-reduction for the services provided to children and families in the state of Colorado. (b) In addition, the general fund moneys saved through utilizing a collaborative approach and consolidating various sources of agency funding will allow for reinvestment of these moneys by the agencies participating in the systems of collaborative management to provide appropriate support to children and families who would benefit from collaborative management of treatment and services. (4) The general assembly therefore finds that because a collaborative approach may lead to the provision of more appropriate and effective delivery of services to children and families and may ultimately allow the agencies providing treatment and services to provide appropriate services to children and families within existing consolidated resources, it is in the best interests of the state of Colorado to establish systems of collaborative management of multi-agency services provided to children and families.

C.R.S. § 24-1.9-102 Memorandum of understanding - local-level interagency oversight groups - individualized service and support teams - coordination of services for children and families - requirements - waiver

24-1.9-102. Memorandum of understanding - local-level interagency oversight groups - individualized service and support teams - coordination of services for children and families - requirements - waiver. (1) (a) Local representatives of each of the agencies specified in this subsection (1)(a) and county departments of human or social services may enter into memorandums of understanding that are designed to promote a collaborative system of local-level interagency oversight groups and individualized service and support teams to coordinate and manage the provision of services to children and families who would benefit from integrated multi-agency services. The memorandums of understanding entered into pursuant to this subsection (1) must be between interested county departments of human or social services and local representatives of each of the following agencies or entities: (I) The local judicial districts, including probation services; (II) The health department, whether a county or district public health agency; (III) The local school district or school districts; (IV) Each comprehensive behavioral health safety net provider; (V) Each behavioral health administrative services organization; (VI) The division of youth services; (VII) A designated managed service organization for the provision of treatment services for alcohol and drug abuse pursuant to section 27-80-107, C.R.S.; and (VIII) A domestic violence program as defined in section 26-7.5-102, if representation from such a program is available. (a.5) In addition to the parties specified in subsection (1)(a) of this section, the memorandums of understanding entered into pursuant to this subsection (1) may include family resource centers created pursuant to part 1 of article 3 of title 26.5. (b) The general assembly strongly encourages the agencies specified in paragraphs (a) and (a.5) of this subsection (1) to enter into memorandums of understanding that are regional. (c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (1)(b) of this section, the agencies specified in subsections (1)(a) and (1)(a.5) of this section may enter into memorandums of understanding involving only one or more county departments of human or social services, not necessarily by region, as may be appropriate to ensure the effectiveness of local-level interagency oversight groups and individualized service and support teams in the county or counties. (d) In developing the memorandums of understanding, the general assembly strongly encourages the parties to the memorandums of understanding to seek input, support, and collaboration from key stakeholders in the private and nonprofit sector, as well as parent advocacy or family advocacy organizations that represent family members or caregivers of children who would benefit from multi-agency services. In developing the memorandums of understanding, the general assembly strongly encourages the parties to the memorandums of understanding to seek input, support, and collaboration from key stakeholders in the private and nonprofit sector, as well as parent advocacy or family advocacy organizations that represent family members or caregivers of children who would benefit from multi-agency services. (e) Nothing precludes the agencies specified in subsections (1)(a) and (1)(a.5) of this section from including parties in addition to the agencies specified in subsections (1)(a) and (1)(a.5) of this section in the memorandums of understanding developed for purposes of this section, and which may include the local juvenile services planning committee as described in section 19-2.5-302. (1.5) The department of human services shall ensure a uniform system of collaborative management that results in statewide consistency with respect to the requirements for program memorandums of understanding pursuant to this article. (2) (a) Each memorandum of understanding entered into shall include, but is not limited to, the requirements specified in paragraphs (b) to (j) of this subsection (2). On or before October 1, 2004, utilizing moneys in the performance incentive cash fund created in section 26-5-105.5 (3.2)(a), C.R.S., the state department of human services, in conjunction with the judicial department, shall develop and make available to the parties specified in paragraph (a) of subsection (1) of this section, a model memorandum of understanding based on the requirements specified in paragraphs (b) to (j) of this subsection (2). (b) Identification of services and funding sources. The memorandum of understanding must specify the legal responsibilities and funding sources of each party to the memorandum of understanding as those responsibilities and funding sources relate to children and families who would benefit from integrated multi-agency services, including the identification of the specific services that may be provided. Specific services that may be provided may include, but are not limited to: Prevention, intervention, and treatment services; family preservation services; family stabilization services; out-of-home placement services; services for children at imminent risk of out-of-home placement; probation services; services for children with behavioral or mental health disorders; public assistance services; medical assistance services; child welfare services; and any additional services the parties deem necessary to identify. (c) Definition of the population to be served. The memorandum of understanding must include a functional definition of "children and families who would benefit from integrated multi-agency services". The collaborative management program target population consists of at-risk children and youth from birth to twenty-one years of age, or families of children or youth, who would benefit from a multi-system integrated service plan that may include prevention, intervention, and treatment services. unctional definition of "children and families who would benefit from integrated multi-agency services". The collaborative management program target population consists of at-risk children and youth from birth to twenty-one years of age, or families of children or youth, who would benefit from a multi-system integrated service plan that may include prevention, intervention, and treatment services. (d) Creation of an oversight group. The memorandum of understanding must create a local-level interagency oversight group and identify the oversight group's membership requirements, procedures for selection of officers, procedures for resolving disputes by a majority vote of those members authorized to vote, and procedures for establishing any necessary subcommittees of the interagency oversight group. Each interagency oversight group must include a local representative of each party to the memorandum of understanding specified in subsections (1)(a) and (1)(a.5) of this section, each of whom is a voting member of the interagency oversight group. In addition, the interagency oversight group may include, but is not limited to, the following advisory nonvoting members: (I) Representatives of interested local private sector entities; (II) Family members or caregivers of children who would benefit from integrated multi-agency services or current or previous consumers of integrated multi-agency services; and (III) Representatives or practitioners from local, regional, or statewide restorative justice programs. (e) Establishment of collaborative management processes. The memorandum of understanding shall require the interagency oversight group to establish collaborative management processes to be utilized by individualized service and support teams authorized pursuant to subsection (2)(f) of this section when providing services to children and families served by the parties to the memorandum of understanding. The collaborative management processes required to be established by the interagency oversight group shall address risk-sharing, resource-pooling, performance expectations, outcome-monitoring, and staff-training, and shall be designed to do the following: (I) Reduce duplication and eliminate fragmentation of services provided to children or families who would benefit from integrated multi-agency services; (II) Increase the quality, appropriateness, and effectiveness of services delivered to children or families who would benefit from integrated multi-agency services to achieve better outcomes for these children and families; and (III) Encourage cost sharing among service providers. (f) Authorization to create individualized service and support teams. The memorandum of understanding must include authorization for the interagency oversight group to establish individualized service and support teams to develop a service and support plan and to provide services to children and families. (g) Authorization to contribute resources and funding. The memorandum of understanding shall specify that each party to the memorandum of understanding has the authority to contribute time, resources, and funding to solve problems identified by the local-level interagency oversight group in order to create a seamless, collaborative system of delivering multi-agency services to children and families, upon approval by the head or director of each agency or department specified in paragraphs (a) and (a.5) of subsection (1) of this section. rstanding has the authority to contribute time, resources, and funding to solve problems identified by the local-level interagency oversight group in order to create a seamless, collaborative system of delivering multi-agency services to children and families, upon approval by the head or director of each agency or department specified in paragraphs (a) and (a.5) of subsection (1) of this section. (h) Reinvestment of money saved to serve additional children and families. The memorandum of understanding must require the interagency oversight group to create a procedure, subject to approval by the head or director of each agency or department specified in subsections (1)(a) and (1)(a.5) of this section, to allow any money resulting from waivers granted by the federal government, any local funds, and any state general fund money appropriated to the program to be used to provide services to children and families who would benefit from integrated multi-agency services, as the population is defined by the memorandum of understanding pursuant to subsection (2)(c) of this section. (i) Repealed. (j) Confidentiality compliance. The memorandum of understanding shall include a provision specifying that state and federal law concerning confidentiality shall be followed and that records used or developed by the interagency oversight group or its members or the individualized service and support teams that relate to a particular person are to be kept confidential and may not be released to any other person or agency except as provided by law. (3) Each department or division, section, unit, or agency within a department that is a party to the memorandum of understanding shall enter into the memorandum of understanding and all revisions to the memorandum. Revisions to the memorandum shall be developed as necessary to reflect department reorganizations or statutory changes affecting the departments that are parties to the memorandum. (4) The departments and agencies that provide oversight to the parties to the memorandum of understanding specified in paragraphs (a) and (a.5) of subsection (1) of this section are authorized to issue waivers of any rules to which the departments and agencies are subject and that would prevent the departments from effective implementation of the memorandums of understanding; however, the departments and agencies are prohibited from waiving a rule in violation of federal law or that would compromise the safety of a child.

C.R.S. § 24-1.9-102.3 Duties of individualized service and support teams

24-1.9-102.3. Duties of individualized service and support teams. (1) A local collaborative management program, as described in section 24-1.9-102, must create one or more individualized service and support teams. An individualized service and support team may refer a child to services and may establish a service and support plan for a child after meeting with the child, the child's family, and any other relevant party or community partners. (2) The information form for children created in section 24-1.9-102.7, or any other form created by the local collaborative management program, may be used by multiple agencies to refer a child to a local collaborative management program in accordance with the local collaborative management program's memorandum of understanding. Such agencies include, but are not limited to: (a) Law enforcement; (b) A district attorney; (c) A school; (d) A family resource center; (e) A child advocacy center; and (f) A county department of human or social services. (3) Only the following persons or agencies have access to records created by an individualized service and support team, including service and support plans: (a) The county department of human or social services when investigating a report of a known or suspected incident of child abuse or neglect or providing services for a child or family who is the subject of the report; (b) An agency with legal responsibility or authorization to care for, treat, or supervise a child who is the subject of the record; (c) A parent, legal guardian or custodian, or other person responsible for the health or welfare of a child named in a record, or the assigned designee of any such person acting by and through a validly executed power of attorney; (d) The child named in the record and the child's guardian ad litem or counsel for youth; (e) (I) A service provider who is and continues to be officially and professionally involved in the care of the child who is the subject of the record, but only with regard to information that the service provider has a need to know in order to fulfill the service provider's professional, official, and ongoing role, including: (A) Hospital personnel engaged in the admission, care, or treatment of the child; (B) Mental health professionals; (C) Physicians or surgeons, including physicians in training; (D) Registered nurses or licensed practical nurses; (E) Dentists; (F) Psychologists licensed pursuant to part 3 of article 245 of title 12; (G) Unlicensed psychotherapists; (H) Professional counselors licensed pursuant to part 6 of article 245 of title 12; (I) Marriage and family therapists licensed pursuant to part 5 of article 245 of title 12; (J) Public or private school officials or employees; (K) Social workers licensed pursuant to part 4 of article 245 of title 12 or individuals employed by an agency that is licensed or certified pursuant to part 9 of article 6 of title 26 or part 3 of article 5 of title 26.5; (L) Victim's advocates, as defined in section 13-90-107 (1)(k)(II); (M) Clergy members, as defined in section 19-3-304 (2)(aa)(III); or (N) Educators providing services through the federal special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children, as provided for in 42 U.S.C. sec. 1786. (II) Information disclosed to a service provider pursuant to this subsection (3)(e) is confidential and shall not be disclosed by the service provider to any other person, except as provided by law. (4) Information disclosed pursuant to subsection (3) of this section must not include the contact information of a victim, or any identifying information of a victim, unless the victim consents to sharing information. disclosed to a service provider pursuant to this subsection (3)(e) is confidential and shall not be disclosed by the service provider to any other person, except as provided by law. (4) Information disclosed pursuant to subsection (3) of this section must not include the contact information of a victim, or any identifying information of a victim, unless the victim consents to sharing information. (5) Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, a child's records, statements, or history with the local collaborative management program are not, without the child's consent, admissible as evidence in any adjudicatory or criminal hearing in which the child is accused and are not subject to subpoena in any adjudicatory or criminal hearing in which the juvenile is accused. This subsection (5) does not supercede any obligations and duties of any mandatory reporter pursuant to section 19-3-304.

C.R.S. § 24-1.9-102.5 Evaluation

24-1.9-102.5. Evaluation. The department of human services shall ensure that an annual external evaluation of the statewide program and each county or regional program is conducted by an independent outside entity. The department may contract with the outside entity to conduct an external evaluation of those counties that opted not to participate in the collaborative management program. The department of human services shall utilize money in the collaborative management cash fund created in section 24-1.9-104, or any general fund money appropriated for this purpose, for annual external evaluations of the counties participating in memorandums of understanding pursuant to section 24-1.9-102, also known as the local collaborative management program, as well as external evaluations as determined by the department of human services of those counties that opted to not participate in the collaborative management program. The annual external evaluation must include any evaluation that may be required in connection with a waiver authorized pursuant to section 24-1.9-102 (4). Each county participating in the local collaborative management program shall participate fully in the annual external evaluation.

C.R.S. § 24-1.9-102.7 Technical assistance

24-1.9-102.7. Technical assistance. (1) The department of human services shall develop and implement training for counties participating in the local collaborative management program. The department of human services shall utilize money in the collaborative management cash fund created in section 24-1.9-104, or any general fund money appropriated for this purpose, to develop and implement training for counties. The training must identify management strategies to collaborate effectively and efficiently to share resources or to manage and integrate the treatment and services provided to children and families receiving collaborative management services pursuant to this article 1.9, and strategies to address the needs of children who would benefit from integrated multi-agency services, including children who have had contact with law enforcement or are at risk of involvement with the juvenile justice system. In developing services to support victims, the department of human services shall consult with the department of public safety and the district attorneys. In developing the training and strategies to integrate treatment and services for children who have engaged in behavior in which the underlying factual basis involves unlawful sexual behavior, the department of human services shall consult with the sex offender management board created pursuant to section 16-11.7-103. In developing the training and oversight, the department of human services shall consider the report from the pre-adolescent services task force created in section 19-3-304.4. (2) On or before December 1, 2023, the department of human services shall create a model information form for children for a party to use to refer a child to a local collaborative management program for assessment and services.

C.R.S. § 24-1.9-103 Reports - executive director review

24-1.9-103. Reports - executive director review. (1) Commencing January 1, 2007, and on or before each January 1 thereafter, each interagency oversight group shall provide a report to the executive director of each department and agency that is a party to any memorandum of understanding entered into that includes: (a) The number of children and families served through the individualized service and support teams and a description of the recommended services; the outcomes of the services provided, including the number, age, race, gender, and, if known, the disability status of the children served; a description of the outcomes for children served; and a description of any reduction in duplication or fragmentation of services provided and a description of any significant improvement in outcomes for children and families; (b) A description of estimated costs of implementing the collaborative management approach and any estimated cost-shifting or cost-savings that may have occurred by collaboratively managing the multi-agency services provided through the individualized service and support teams; (b.5) The number of children and families who were referred to a local collaborative management program and did not receive recommended services, including a description of the services that were recommended but not provided; a description of the barriers to providing such services; and the age, race, gender, and, if known, the disability status of the children; (b.7) The number of children, by age, served by a local collaborative management program, who were referred by the juvenile justice system; (b.8) The number of children, by age, who were served by a local collaborative management program, who were referred by a county department of human or social services, including referrals through a dependency and neglect case; (b.9) The number of children, by age, who were served by a local collaborative management program and who identified themselves to the local collaborative management program as: (I) A named victim in a criminal protection order pursuant to section 18-1-1001 or in a juvenile delinquency or criminal case; (II) A recipient of victim compensation pursuant to article 4.1 of this title 24; or (III) A protected party in a protection order pursuant to article 14 of title 13, section 19-2-707 as it existed prior to its repeal in 2021, or section 18-1-1001; (c) An accounting of money that was reinvested in additional services provided to children or families who would benefit from integrated multi-agency services due to cost-savings that may have resulted; (d) A description of any identified barriers to the ability of the state and county to provide effective services to persons who received multi-agency services; and (e) Any other information relevant to improving the delivery of services to persons who would benefit from multi-agency services. (2) (a) Utilizing the reports created pursuant to subsection (1) of this section, the persons specified in paragraph (b) of this subsection (2) shall meet at least annually with the governor, or his or her designee, to review the activities and progress of counties and agencies engaged in collaborative management of multi-agency services provided to children and families. The purpose of the meeting shall be to identify barriers encountered in collaborative management development or implementation or reinvestment of moneys and to discuss and effectuate solutions to these barriers to achieve greater efficiencies and better outcomes for the state, for local communities, and for persons who would benefit from multi-agency services. es provided to children and families. The purpose of the meeting shall be to identify barriers encountered in collaborative management development or implementation or reinvestment of moneys and to discuss and effectuate solutions to these barriers to achieve greater efficiencies and better outcomes for the state, for local communities, and for persons who would benefit from multi-agency services. (b) The following persons or their designees shall attend the annual meeting required pursuant to subsection (2)(a) of this section: (I) The commissioner of education; (II) A superintendent of a school district that has entered into a memorandum of understanding, as such superintendent is selected by the commissioner of education; (III) A director of a county department of human or social services that has entered into a memorandum of understanding, as such director is selected by the executive director of the state department of human services; (IV) The executive director of the department of health care policy and financing; (V) The executive director of the department of human services; (VI) A director of a local mental health center that has entered into a memorandum of understanding, as such director is selected by the executive director of the department of human services; (VII) A representative from a statewide parent advocacy or family advocacy organization who participated in the development of a memorandum of understanding, as such representative is selected by a director of a county department of human or social services chosen by the state department of human services; (VIII) The executive director of the department of public health and environment; and (IX) The chief justice of the Colorado supreme court.

C.R.S. § 24-1.9-104 Cash fund - creation - grants, gifts, and donations

24-1.9-104. Cash fund - creation - grants, gifts, and donations. (1) On July 1, 2005, there is created in the state treasury the collaborative management cash fund, which is referred to in this section as the "fund". The money in the fund is subject to annual appropriation by the general assembly to the department of human services for state fiscal year 2005-06 and each fiscal year thereafter. The fund consists of money received from docket fees in civil actions and transferred as specified in section 13-32-101. (1.5) On July 1, 2023, and annually thereafter, the general assembly shall appropriate money to the fund to serve children who would benefit from integrated multi-agency services, including children who have had contact with law enforcement or who are at risk of involvement with the juvenile justice system. (2) The executive director of the department of human services is authorized to accept and expend on behalf of the state any grants, gifts, or donations from any private or public source for the purposes of this section. All private and public funds received through grants, gifts, or donations must be transmitted to the state treasurer, who shall credit the same to the fund in addition to money credited pursuant to subsection (1) of this section and any money that may be appropriated to the fund directly by the general assembly. All investment earnings derived from the deposit and investment of money in the fund remains in the fund and does not transfer or revert to the general fund of the state or any other fund at the end of any fiscal year. (2.5) Notwithstanding any provision of this section to the contrary, on June 1, 2009, the state treasurer shall deduct three hundred thousand dollars from the fund and transfer such sum to the general fund. (3) (a) On and after July 1, 2005, the executive director of the department of human services shall allocate the money in the fund, and any general fund money appropriated for this purpose, to parties to a memorandum of understanding who have agreed to collaborative management pursuant to section 24-1.9-102. The executive director of the department of human services shall: (I) Beginning July 1, 2023, distribute additional funds appropriated for the 2023-24 state fiscal year to the fund to existing collaborative management programs pursuant to the funding formula in place on June 30, 2023; and (II) Beginning July 1, 2024, provide an annual sum to each local collaborative management program to provide services to children who would benefit from integrated multi-agency services, including children who have had contact with law enforcement or who are at risk of involvement with the juvenile justice system. For the 2024-25 state fiscal year and each state fiscal year thereafter, the amount of the sum provided to each local collaborative management program must be determined through a funding formula that considers: (A) The amount of money available in the fund; (B) The need for a base of resources to direct a child and the child's family members to appropriate services; and (C) The number of children in the population to be served, as defined by the memorandum of understanding pursuant to section 24-1.9-102, in each county or region. (a.5) On and after July 1, 2008, the executive director of the department of human services is authorized to allocate money in the fund, and any general fund money appropriated for this purpose, to be used to cover the direct and indirect costs of the external evaluation of the collaborative management program described in section 24-1.9-102 and the technical assistance and training for counties as described in section 24-1.9-102.7. executive director of the department of human services is authorized to allocate money in the fund, and any general fund money appropriated for this purpose, to be used to cover the direct and indirect costs of the external evaluation of the collaborative management program described in section 24-1.9-102 and the technical assistance and training for counties as described in section 24-1.9-102.7. (b) For purposes of allocating money pursuant to this subsection (3), the executive director of the department of human services shall submit an accounting of money in the fund, and any general fund money appropriated for this purpose, and a proposal for the allocation of money to the state board of human services for review and approval prior to the allocation of the money. The state board of human services shall approve the proposal not later than thirty days after receipt of the proposal from the executive director of the department of human services.

C.R.S. § 24-1.9-105 Funding for future local collaborative management programs

24-1.9-105. Funding for future local collaborative management programs. (1) For state fiscal year 2023-24, the general assembly shall appropriate two million dollars from the general fund to the department of human services to be used to assist interested counties that do not already operate a local collaborative management program with establishing a local collaborative management program or joining an existing local collaborative management program. The department of human services shall determine the amount that is distributed to a county for this purpose. (2) All unexpended or unencumbered money that remains at the end of state fiscal year 2023-24 shall revert to the collaborative management cash fund created in section 24-1.9-104.
Source: Open US Law by Vaquill AI (CC BY 4.0)URL: https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/images/olls/crs2024-title-24.docxFetched: 10/6/2026