Bill > H134

This bill establishes a network of community-based services and family resource centers throughout Massachusetts to provide assistance to families and children in need. The key provisions include: 1. The Secretary of Health and Human Services will set up this network of services and centers to help families keep their children at home and in their community schools, strengthen family relationships, and provide comprehensive, coordinated services such as behavioral/mental health treatment, education support, financial assistance, and case management. 2. Community-based service options must be exhausted before a child can be referred to the juvenile court system for a "child requiring assistance" petition. Family resource center staff can work with probation officers to determine if all options have been tried. 3. The bill also updates the definition of "child requiring assistance" and the procedures for filing such petitions, emphasizing the use of community-based services and supports over the court process where possible. 4. The bill requires data collection and reporting on the services provided, clients served, and outcomes to help identify service gaps and evaluate the effectiveness of the family resource centers and community-based services network.