Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services (department), jointly with the State Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), to establish the Children’s Crisis Continuum Pilot Program. Existing law requires the department, jointly with DHCS, to award grants under the pilot program and requires participating entities to develop a highly integrated continuum of care for the foster youth served in the pilot program. Under existing law, that continuum of care is required to include certain components, including, among others, a crisis residential program that is operated in accordance with all statutes and regulations governing its licensure category.

This bill would authorize a participating entity that does not have a crisis residential program as a part of its continuum of care, but that has included in its continuum of care a comparable type of treatment component designed to serve children and youth experiencing the highest level of acute behavioral health needs in a residential setting, to utilize all awarded grant funds, including any funds specifically designated to fund a crisis residential program, to fund any other component of the continuum of care.