Bill > HB4393

This bill requires the West Virginia Department of Human Services (DoHS) to create and implement a statewide prevention plan by January 1, 2027, to offer prevention services to children under 18 and their families, including kinship and foster parents. The plan must ensure services are trauma-informed and evidence-based, targeting at-risk children such as those with existing child protective services or youth services safety plans or open cases, as well as pregnant and parenting youth, youth aging out of foster care up to age 21, youth post-adoption, and youth transitioning between different levels of care. The DoHS must establish a network of providers that includes a mix of telehealth and physical locations for convenient access, directly link youth and families to needed services, and track encounter data and outcomes. Beginning December 1, 2027, and annually thereafter, the DoHS will report to the Legislative Oversight Commission on Health and Human Resources Accountability on the outcomes of these prevention services, including the number of families served, costs by program, and program outcomes on a county or regional basis, ensuring all outcome reporting is de-identified. The bill also mandates that these prevention services maximize federal funding available under the Family First Prevention Services Act.