HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 40
(By Delegates Perdue, Boggs, Mahan and Stalnaker)
Requesting the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human
Resources to immediately establish a Children's Services
Redesign Group charged with proposing a redesign of the
state's children's service system.
Whereas, The health, safety and well-being of children are of
paramount importance to families in our state and protecting the
health, safety and well-being of our children is essential to the
well-being of our youngest citizens and the quality of life in our
state; and
Whereas, Providing responsive, accountable and cost-effective
services to West Virginia's children and families in their home
communities is important and the children's service system does not
have a cohesive structure, clear goals or communication between
state agencies, courts, providers and children; and
Whereas, The children's service system is struggling not only
in West Virginia but across the country due to an increase in
children at risk of abuse and neglect paralleled with the system's
inability to respond to the increased need and it is desirable for
the Department of Health and Human Resources and private providers to identify and replicate best practices while providing greater
accountability for child and family outcomes; and
Whereas, the Department of Health and Human Resources is
charged with protecting the safety, well-being and health of
children and both it, and the private providers
it uses, must be
held accountable; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Legislature requests the Secretary of the Department
of Health and Human Resources to immediately establish a Children's
Services Redesign Group charged with
proposing a redesign
of the
state's children's service system; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Legislature requests the Secretary
of the Department of Health and Human Resources to assure that
membership in the Children's Services Redesign Group represent all
facets of the child serving community, including, but not limited
to, former foster children, families, Department of Health and
Human Resources management and field staff, administrative services
organization, juvenile court judges, individuals working in the
probation system, mental health experts, representatives from the
Legislature, representatives from the Governor's Office, child
advocates, representatives of all provider groups and
representatives of the court; and, be it
Further resolved, That this multiyear strategy cross
organizational boundaries to integrate existing services and future services by working together in public/private partnership to
propose a system of care that at a minimum ensures an increased
focus on community based prevention to prevent child abuse and
neglect; and, be it
Further resolved, That the Children's Services Redesign Group
develop a blueprint for action considering the West Virginia
Program Improvement Plan and develop a process and measures toward
implementing the plan; and, be it
Further resolved, That the Secretary of the Department of
Health and Human Resources report to the Joint Committee on
Government and Finance by the thirty-first day of December, two
thousand seven, and annually after that until two thousand ten, on
the status of the Children's Services Redesign Group and the
development of the blueprint for action; and, be it
Further resolved, That the Secretary of the Department of
Health and Human Resources submit proposed legislation the
Secretary finds is needed to implement the West Virginia Program
Improvement Plan
and the blueprint for action
to the Joint
Committee on Government and Finance.