§ 290ff-1. Requirements with respect to carrying out purpose of grants

(a) Systems of comprehensive care

(1) In general

A funding agreement for a grant under section 290ff (a) of this title is that, with respect to children with a serious emotional disturbance, the public entity involved will carry out the purpose described in such section only through establishing and operating 1 or more systems of care for making each of the mental health services specified in subsection (c) of this section available to each child provided access to the system. In providing for such a system, the public entity may make grants to, and enter into contracts with, public and nonprofit private entities.

(2) Structure of system

A funding agreement for a grant under section 290ff (a) of this title is that a system of care under paragraph (1) will—

(A) be established in a community selected by the public entity involved;

(B) consist of such public agencies and nonprofit private entities in the community as are necessary to ensure that each of the services specified in subsection (c) of this section is available to each child provided access to the system;

(C) be established pursuant to agreements that the public entity enters into with the agencies and entities described in subparagraph (B);

(D) coordinate the provision of the services of the system; and

(E) establish an office whose functions are to serve as the location through which children are provided access to the system, to coordinate the provision of services of the system, and to provide information to the public regarding the system.

(3) Collaboration of local public entities

A funding agreement for a grant under section 290ff (a) of this title is that, for purposes of the establishment and operation of a system of care under paragraph (1), the public entity involved will seek collaboration among all public agencies that provide human services in the community in which the system is established, including but not limited to those providing mental health services, educational services, child welfare services, or juvenile justice services.

(b) Limitation on age of children provided access to system

A funding agreement for a grant under section 290ff (a) of this title is that a system of care under subsection (a) of this section will not provide an individual with access to the system if the individual is more than 21 years of age.

A funding agreement for a grant under section 290ff (a) of this title is that mental health services provided by a system of care under subsection (a) of this section will include, with respect to a serious emotional disturbance in a child—

(1) diagnostic and evaluation services;

(2) outpatient services provided in a clinic, office, school or other appropriate location, including individual, group and family counseling services, professional consultation, and review and management of medications;

(3) emergency services, available 24-hours a day, 7 days a week;

(4) intensive home-based services for children and their families when the child is at imminent risk of out-of-home placement;

(5) intensive day-treatment services;

(6) respite care;

(7) therapeutic foster care services, and services in therapeutic foster family homes or individual therapeutic residential homes, and groups homes caring for not more than 10 children; and

(8) assisting the child in making the transition from the services received as a child to the services to be received as an adult.

(d) Required arrangements regarding other appropriate services

(1) In general

A funding agreement for a grant under section 290ff (a) of this title is that—

(A) a system of care under subsection (a) of this section will enter into a memorandum of understanding with each of the providers specified in paragraph (2) in order to facilitate the availability of the services of the provider involved to each child provided access to the system; and

(B) the grant under such section 290ff (a) of this title, and the non-Federal contributions made with respect to the grant, will not be expended to pay the costs of providing such non-mental health services to any individual.

(2) Specification of non-mental health services

The providers referred to in paragraph (1) are providers of medical services other than mental health services, providers of educational services, providers of vocational counseling and vocational rehabilitation services, and providers of protection and advocacy services with respect to mental health.

(3) Facilitation of services of certain programs

A funding agreement for a grant under section 290ff (a) of this title is that a system of care under subsection (a) of this section will, for purposes of paragraph (1), enter into a memorandum of understanding regarding facilitation of—

(A) services available pursuant to title XIX of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.], including services regarding early periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment;

(B) services available under parts B and C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [20 U.S.C. 1411 et seq., 1431 et seq.]; and

(e) General provisions regarding services of system

(1) Case management services

A funding agreement for a grant under section 290ff (a) of this title is that a system of care under subsection (a) of this section will provide for the case management of each child provided access to the system in order to ensure that—

(A) the services provided through the system to the child are coordinated and that the need of each such child for the services is periodically reassessed;

(B) information is provided to the family of the child on the extent of progress being made toward the objectives established for the child under the plan of services implemented for the child pursuant to section 290ff–2 of this title; and

(i) establishing the eligibility of the child, and the family of the child, for financial assistance and services under Federal, State, or local programs providing for health services, mental health services, educational services, social services, or other services; and

(ii) seeking to ensure that the child receives appropriate services available under such programs.

(2) Other provisions

A funding agreement for a grant under section 290ff (a) of this title is that a system of care under subsection (a) of this section, in providing the services of the system, will—

(A) provide the services of the system in the cultural context that is most appropriate for the child and family involved;

(B) ensure that individuals providing such services to the child can effectively communicate with the child and family in the most direct manner;

(C) provide the services without discriminating against the child or the family of the child on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sex, disability, or age;

(D) seek to ensure that each child provided access to the system of care remains in the least restrictive, most normative environment that is clinically appropriate; and

(E) provide outreach services to inform individuals, as appropriate, of the services available from the system, including identifying children with a serious emotional disturbance who are in the early stages of such disturbance.

(3) Rule of construction

An agreement made under paragraph (2) may not be construed—

(A) with respect to subparagraph (C) of such paragraph—

(i) to prohibit a system of care under subsection (a) of this section from requiring that, in housing provided by the grantee for purposes of residential treatment services authorized under subsection (c) of this section, males and females be segregated to the extent appropriate in the treatment of the children involved; or

(ii) to prohibit the system of care from complying with the agreement made under subsection (b) of this section; or

(B) with respect to subparagraph (D) of such paragraph, to authorize the system of care to expend the grant under section 290ff (a) of this title (or the non-Federal contributions made with respect to the grant) to provide legal services or any service with respect to which expenditures regarding the grant are prohibited under subsection (d)(1)(B) of this section.

(f) Restrictions on use of grant

A funding agreement for a grant under section 290ff (a) of this title is that the grant, and the non-Federal contributions made with respect to the grant, will not be expended—

(1) to purchase or improve real property (including the construction or renovation of facilities);

(2) to provide for room and board in residential programs serving 10 or fewer children;

(3) to provide for room and board or other services or expenditures associated with care of children in residential treatment centers serving more than 10 children or in inpatient hospital settings, except intensive home-based services and other services provided on an ambulatory or outpatient basis; or

(4) to provide for the training of any individual, except training authorized in section 290ff–3 (a)(2) of this title and training provided through any appropriate course in continuing education whose duration does not exceed 2 days.

(g) Waivers

The Secretary may waive one or more of the requirements of subsection (c) of this section for a public entity that is an Indian Tribe or tribal organization, or American Samoa, Guam, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of Palau, or the United States Virgin Islands if the Secretary determines, after peer review, that the system of care is family-centered and uses the least restrictive environment that is clinically appropriate.

U.S. Code

§ 290ff-1. Requirements with respect to carrying out purpose of grants