Sec. 531.803. DUTIES

(a) The council shall:

(1) analyze the biennial legislative appropriations requests of members of the council for services provided to children and their families and identify appropriations that, through the coordination of members of the council, could be modified in the next legislative appropriation request to eliminate waste or increase available services and, not later than May 1 of each even-numbered year, prepare a report recommending those modifications for consideration during the development of the next biennial legislative appropriations request;

(2) investigate opportunities to increase flexible funding for health, education, and human services provided to children and their families;

(3) identify methods to remove barriers to local coordination of health, education, and human services provided to children and their families;

(4) identify methods to ensure that children and youth receive appropriate assessment, diagnoses, and intervention services;

(5) develop methods to prevent unnecessary parental relinquishment of custody of children;

(6) prioritize assisting children in family settings rather than institutional settings;

(7) make recommendations about family involvement in the provision and planning of health, education, and human services for a child, including family partner and liaison models; and

(8) identify technological methods to ensure the efficient and timely transfer of information among state agencies providing health, education, and human services to children and their families.

(b) The state agency members of the council may, as appropriate, enter into memoranda of understanding with other agencies to implement any method, process, policy, or recommendation identified or developed under Subsection (a). Before a method, process, policy, or recommendation is implemented, the council shall:

(1) identify:

(A) the timeline and proposed outcome of implementing the method, process, policy, or recommendation; and

(B) benchmarks that may be used to measure the success of the implementation of the method, process, policy, or recommendation; and

(2) assign to the appropriate members of the council responsibility for implementing the method, process, policy, or recommendation.

(c) The council may collect data necessary to conduct the council's duties or implement the council's recommendations and shall use any reports or information produced by other entities related to children, youth, and families to inform the council.

Added by Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 819 , Sec. 1, eff. June 19, 2009. Amended by: Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 899 , Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2011.