California Legislature—2015–16 Regular Session

Assembly Bill No. 1133

Introduced by Assembly Member Achadjian

February 27, 2015

An act to amend Section 4380 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, relating to mental health.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

AB 1133, as introduced, Achadjian. School-based early mental health intervention.

Existing law authorizes the Director of Health Care Services, in consultation with the Superintendent of Public Instruction, to provide matching grants to local educational agencies to pay the state share of the costs of providing school-based early mental health intervention and prevention services to eligible pupils at schoolsites of eligible pupils, subject to the availability of funding each year.

This bill would make technical, nonsubstantive changes to those provisions.

Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no.

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.  

Section 4380 of the Welfare and Institutions Code
is amended to read:

4380.  

Subject to the availability of funding each year, the
Legislature authorizes the director, in consultation with the
Superintendent of Public Instruction, to award matching grants to
local educational agencies to pay the state share of the costs of
providing programs that provide school-based early mental health
intervention and prevention services to eligible pupils at schoolsites
of eligible pupils, as follows:

(a) The director shall award matching grants pursuant to this
chapter to local educational agencies throughout the state.

(b) Matching grants awarded under this part shall be awarded
for a period of not more than three begin delete years and no end delete begin insert years. No end insert single
schoolsite shall be awarded more than one grant, except for a
schoolsite that received a grant prior to July 1, 1992.

(c) The director shall pay to each local educational agency
begin delete having end delete begin insert that has end insert an application approved pursuant to requirements
begin delete in end delete begin insert of end insert this part the state share of the cost of the activities described
in the application.

(d) Commencing July 1, 1993, the state share of matching grants
shall be a maximum of 50 percent in each of the three years.

(e) Commencing July 1, 1993, the local share of matching grants
shall be at least 50 percent, from a combination of school district
and cooperating entity funds.

(f) The local share of the matching grant may be in cash or
payment in-kind.

(g) Priority shall be given to those applicants that demonstrate
the following:

(1) The local educational agency will serve the greatest number
of eligible pupils from low-income families.

(2) The local educational agency will provide a strong parental
involvement component.

(3) The local educational agency will provide supportive services
with one or more cooperating entities.

(4) The local educational agency will provide services at a low
cost per child served in the project.

(5) The local educational agency will provide programs and
services that are based on adoption or modification, or both, of
existing programs that have been shown to be effective. No more
than 20 percent of the grants awarded by the director may be
utilized for new models.

(6) The local educational agency will provide services to
children who are in out-of-home placement or who are at risk of
being in out-of-home placement.

(h) Eligible supportive services may include the following:

(1) Individual and group intervention and prevention services.

(2) Parent involvement through conferences or training, or both.

(3) Teacher and staff conferences and training related to meeting
project goals.

(4) Referral to outside resources when eligible pupils require
additional services.

(5) Use of paraprofessional staff, who are trained and supervised
by credentialed school psychologists, school counselors, or school
social workers, to meet with pupils on a short-term weekly basis,
in a one-on-one setting as in the primary intervention program
established pursuant to Chapter 4 (commencing with Section 4343)
of Part 3. A minimum of 80 percent of the grants awarded by the
director shall include the basic components of the primary
intervention program.

(6) Any other service or activity that will improve the mental
health of eligible pupils.

Prior to participation by an eligible pupil in either individual or
group services, consent of a parent or guardian shall be obtained.

(i) Each local educational agency seeking a grant under this
chapter shall submit an application to the director at the time, in
a manner, and accompanied by any information the director may
reasonably require.

(j) Each matching grant application submitted shall include all
of the following:

(1) Documentation of need for the school-based early mental
health intervention and prevention services.

(2) A description of the school-based early mental health
intervention and prevention services expected to be provided at
the schoolsite.

(3) A statement of program goals.

(4) A list of cooperating entities that will participate in the
provision of services. A letter from each cooperating entity
confirming its participation in the provision of services shall be
included with the list. At least one letter shall be from a cooperating
entity confirming that it will agree to screen referrals of low-income
children the program has determined may be in need of mental
health treatment services and that, if the cooperating entity
determines that the child is in need of those services and if the
cooperating entity determines that according to its priority process
the child is eligible to be served by it, the cooperating entity will
agree to provide those mental health treatment services.

(5) A detailed budget and budget narrative.

(6) A description of the proposed plan for parent involvement
in the program.

(7) A description of the population anticipated to be served,
including number of pupils to be served and socioeconomic
indicators of sites to receive funds.

(8) A description of the matching funds from a combination of
local education agencies and cooperating entities.

(9) A plan describing how the proposed school-based early
mental health intervention and prevention services program will
be continued after the matching grant has expired.

(10) Assurance that grants would supplement and not supplant
existing local resources provided for early mental health
intervention and prevention services.

(11) A description of an evaluation plan that includes
quantitative and qualitative measures of school and pupil
characteristics, and a comparison of children’s adjustment to
school.

(k) Matching grants awarded pursuant to this article may be
used for salaries of staff responsible for implementing the
school-based early mental health intervention and prevention
services program, equipment and supplies, training, and insurance.

(l) Salaries of administrative staff and other administrative costs
associated with providing services shall be limited to 5 percent of
the state share of assistance provided under this section.

(m) No more than 10 percent of each matching grant awarded
pursuant to this article may be used for matching grant evaluation.

(n)  begin insert (1) end insert begin insert   end insert No more than 10 percent of the moneys allocated to
the director pursuant to this chapter may be utilized for program
administration and evaluation.

begin delete

Program

end delete

begin insert (2) end insert begin insert   end insert begin insert Program end insert administration shall include both state staff and
field staff who are familiar with and have successfully implemented
school-based early mental health intervention and prevention
services. Field staff may be contracted with by local school districts
or community mental health programs. Field staff shall provide
support in the timely and effective implementation of school-based
early mental health intervention and prevention services. Reviews
of each project shall be conducted at least once during the first
year of funding.

(o) Subject to the approval of the director, at the end of the fiscal
year, a school district may apply unexpended funds to the budget
for the subsequent funding year.

(p) Contracts for the program and administration, or ancillary
services in support of the program, shall be exempt from the
requirements of the Public Contract Code and the State
Administrative Manual, and from approval by the Department of
General Services.