Each county wishing to participate under this chapter shall develop a three-year program for phasing in a coordinated children’s services system.

(a) A plan for coordinated children’s services may include proposals to combine and coordinate services to one or more of the following special populations of children provided by two or more existing local service agencies:

(1) Abused or neglected children and those at risk of abuse or neglect.

(2) Children in foster care or at risk of entering foster care.

(3) Children requiring mental health services.

(4) Children needing health care services delivered by local maternal and child health services, including, but not limited to, services provided under the California Children’s Services Program, the Child Health and Disability Prevention Program, and perinatal services.

(5) Delinquent, status offender, and homeless minors.

(6) Minors in need of job training and placement services.

(7) School dropouts, or those at risk of dropping out.

(8) Infants born with identified drug dependencies and children with known histories of substance abuse.

(9) Children with developmental disabilities.

(10) Children in need of preschool or child care services.

(b) Plans shall include all of the following:

(1) Use of existing service capabilities within the various agencies currently serving children’s needs in the county.

(2) Interagency collaboration and program consolidation among publicly and privately funded agencies providing services to children.

(3) Appropriate interagency protocols and agreements.

(4) Services for the most vulnerable or at-risk children.

(5) Services which permit children to reside in their usual family setting whenever possible and in their best interest.

(6) Components designed to promote an effective case management system.

(7) Estimates of cost benefits and cost avoidance of the program proposal.

(8) A specific list of the benefits to children under the plan, including objective measures of successful outcome and program effectiveness.

(c) No later than July 1 of each year, any county that wishes to participate pursuant to this chapter shall submit to the county board of supervisors a program proposal for the development of a coordinated system of children’s services.

(Amended by Stats. 1991, Ch. 994, Sec. 5.)