Bill > S101

This bill aims to establish a network of child and family service programs and family resource centers throughout Massachusetts to provide community-based services to families, including those with children requiring assistance. The bill defines key terms such as "child requiring assistance," "chronic absenteeism," and "family requiring assistance." The Secretary of Health and Human Services is tasked with developing guidelines and standards for the network, coordinating the services provided, and monitoring and providing technical assistance to the family resource centers and providers of community-based services. The bill also requires the use of standard intake screening and assessment tools to evaluate families and children seeking community-based services, and the creation of a data collection system to track the services provided and identify any gaps in service availability. Additionally, the bill mandates the assignment of a case manager to each child and family, who will convene a multidisciplinary team to identify and address the needs of the child and family outside of the juvenile court process, whenever possible.