LMB-Manual.pdf

THE STATE OF MARYLAND

POLICIES & PROCEDURES

MANUAL FOR

LOCAL

MANAGEMENT

BOARDS

Issued by:

The Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services on Behalf of The Children’s Cabinet Effective July 1, 2021

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 6

SECTION I – OVERVIEW 11

SUBSECTION 10 – ESTABLISHMENT 11

SUBSECTION 20 – STATE STRUCTURE 11

SUBSECTION 30 – MONITORING 12

SUBSECTION 40 – LETTERS OF SUPPORT/COMMITMENT 15

SUBSECTION 50 - REQUIRED SIGNATURES 15

SUBSECTION 60 – WAIVERS 15

SUBSECTION 70 – AWARDS 16

SECTION II – BOARD REQUIREMENTS 18

SUBSECTION 10 – BOARD ROLES 18

SUBSECTION 20 – BOARD RESPONSIBILITIES 19

SUBSECTION 30 – BY-LAWS 19

SUBSECTION 40 – BOARD MEETINGS 19

SUBSECTION 50 – LAWS, REGULATIONS AND POLICIES 20

SUBSECTION 60 – USING RESULTS AND INDICATORS 21

SUBSECTION 70 – CONTRACTING 24

SUBSECTION 80 – OVERSIGHT RESPONSIBILITIES 32

SECTION III – PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS 37

SUBSECTION 10 – BACKGROUND 37

SUBSECTION 20 – JUVENILE DELINQUENCY PREVENTION AND DIVERSION PROGRAMS 37

SUBSECTION 30 – HOME VISITING 37

SECTION IV – FISCAL MANAGEMENT REQUIREMENTS 38

SUBSECTION 10 – GENERAL 38

SUBSECTION 20 - FUNDING PRINCIPLES 39

SUBSECTION 30 - INCOME PRINCIPLES 41

SUBSECTION 40 - ACCOUNTING STANDARDS 41

SUBSECTION 50 - COST PRINCIPLES 42

SUBSECTION 60 - RECONCILIATION 43

SECTION V – RESTRICTIONS 46

SUBSECTION 10 – RESTRICTIONS 46

SECTION VI – RECOMMENDATIONS 49

SUBSECTION 10 – BOARD COMPOSITION 49

SUBSECTION 20 – BY-LAWS 49

SUBSECTION 30 – ASSESSING COMMUNITY NEEDS 50

SUBSECTION 40 – COMMUNITY PLAN 51

SUBSECTION 50 – COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT 52

SUBSECTION 60 - LOCAL ACCESS MECHANISM 52

SUBSECTION 60 – OUT-OF-SCHOOL TIME PROGRAMS 55

SECTION VII – APPENDICES 55

APPENDIX 1 - LOCAL MANAGEMENT BOARD PERFORMANCE ACCOUNTABILITY PROCESS 56

APPENDIX 2 - PRIOR RESULTS AND INDICATORS 61

APPENDIX 3 - THE HEALTH INSURANCE PORTABILITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT AND STATE CONFIDENTIALITY LAW 63

APPENDIX 4 - THE NEEDS TRIANGLE 64

APPENDIX 5 - YOUTH SERVICES BUREAUS 65

APPENDIX 6 - REQUIREMENTS FOR THE BOARD’S ACCOUNTING MANUAL 71

APPENDIX 7 - NEW CHILDREN’S CABINET DIRECTIVES FOR LOCAL CARE TEAMS OCTOBER 2017 77

APPENDIX 8 - COVID-19 GUIDANCE MEMO FOR LOCAL CARE TEAMS 82

APPENDIX 9 - CHILDREN’S CABINET DIRECTIVE #3 LOCAL CARE TEAM PROTOCOLS EFFECTIVE MARCH 1, 2021 84

LEGEND

Text highlighted yellow denotes a change from the previous Manual.

Text highlighted green denotes Manual requirements that will be monitored.

INTRODUCTION

A. Scope

1. This Manual provides instruction on the administration and management of Maryland’s

Local Management Boards (Boards).

2. The Board shall incorporate by reference the relevant contents of this Manual into its contracts, as appropriate.

B. Reference Materials

1. Some documents referenced in this Manual are included in the Appendices of the Manual.

2. Other resources are referenced as part of the Code of Maryland Regulations (“COMAR”) and the Annotated Code of Maryland. These resources can be found online at:

http://www.dsd.state.md.us and https://bit.ly/2V6d2NY.

C. Distribution and Updates

1. The Manual will be issued and available online from the Governor’s Office of Crime

Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services’ (Office) website at:

http://goccp.maryland.gov/local-management-boards/.

2. Updates to the Manual will be distributed as they are finalized.

D. Definitions

1. “Agreement” means the Community Partnership Agreement contract that is executed by the

Children’s Cabinet and the Board.

2. “Carry-forward” means unspent funds from a fiscal year that are applied as a payment against a grant in the following fiscal year. Carry-forward funds do not increase the award in the following year.

3. “Carry-over” means unspent funds from a fiscal year that are applied to a grant in the following fiscal year. Carry-over funds increase the amount of the award in the following year and will not be approved by the Office.

4. “Child” has the meaning as stated in the Courts and Judicial Proceedings Article § 3–8A–0 of the Annotated Code of Maryland.

5. “Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths Assessment (CANS)” is an open domain, multi-purpose tool developed by the Praed Foundation for children’s services to support decision making, including level of care and service planning, to facilitate quality improvement initiatives, and to allow for the monitoring of outcomes of services.

6. “Children’s Cabinet” has the meaning stated in Executive Order 01.01.2020.01 and includes the members as stated in the Executive Order who convene on a regular basis to develop and implement coordinated State policies to improve the health and welfare of children and families. The Children’s Cabinet is chaired by the Executive Director of the Office.

July 1, 2021 Introduction Page 3 http://www.dsd.state.md.us/ http://goccp.maryland.gov/local-management-boards/ https://codes.findlaw.com/md/courts-and-judicial-proceedings/md-code-cts-and-jud-proc-sect-3-8a-01.html http://www.msa.md.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc5300/sc5339/000113/024200/024227/20200011e-01.pdf

7. “Children and Youth Division” has the meaning stated in Executive Order 01.01.2020.01.

Formerly the Governor’s Office for Children.

8. “Children’s Cabinet Fund” means the fund established by Human Services Article § 8-502 of the Annotated Code of Maryland. Also known as the Children’s Cabinet Interagency Fund (Fund) or Interagency Fund.

9. “Children’s Cabinet Implementation Team (Team)” means the committee of the Deputy Secretaries/Assistant Superintendent (or other executive staff) of each of the Children’s Cabinet agency members.

10. “Community Needs Assessment” means a systematic methodology for gathering information from the community regarding current problems, community strengths, and available programs, services and resources that is used by the Board to guide local development, expansion and implementation of resources, services and programs.

11. “Community Planning” means a process that includes assessing community needs and gaps and other data gathering activities. A community plan and a strategic plan are the same.

12. “Continuum of care” means the necessary array of services and supports (both professional and natural) that are available in a community to support a spectrum of intensity of need, from opportunities and prevention to intensive therapeutic interventions.

13. “Core Service Agency” has the meaning stated in COMAR 10.21.17.

14. “Direct Service” means hands-on involvement working with individuals or a group to meet people’s immediate needs (for food, shelter, clothing, or medical care, etc.) or to provide clinical or other interventions.

15. “Ex officio” means by right of the office. An ex officio member of a body (a board, committee, council, etc.) is a member by virtue of holding another office.

16. “Family” has the meaning as stated in Human Services Article § 8-101 of the Annotated Code of Maryland.

17. “Fee-for-Service” means payment to a provider of services rendered, at a predetermined rate, separately for each particular service rendered.

18. “Fiscal Year” is the State Fiscal Year which begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 of each year.

19. “Fixed Asset” means an item with a useful life greater than one reporting period that is purchased for the productive use by the Board or its vendor (e.g. computer equipment and software, furniture and fixtures, vehicles, etc.).

20. “Flex Funds” means discretionary funds available to purchase goods and services.

21. “Health Care Practitioner” has the meaning as stated in Health-General Article § 1-301 of the Annotated Code of Maryland.

July 1, 2021 Introduction Page 4 http://www.msa.md.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc5300/sc5339/000113/024200/024227/20200011e-01.pdf http://www.msa.md.gov/megafile/msa/speccol/sc5300/sc5339/000113/024200/024227/20200011e-01.pdf https://law.justia.com/codes/maryland/2019/human-services/title-8/subtitle-5/sect-8-502/ http://mdrules.elaws.us/comar/10.21.17 http://dhs.maryland.gov/documents/Licensing-and-Monitoring/Maryland%20Law%20Articles/RCC/Human%20Services%20Article%208-101.pdf https://codes.findlaw.com/md/health-occupations/md-code-health-occ-sect-1-301.html

22. “Incentive” means a nominal payment or other economic benefit given to a participant to encourage/reward participation in an activity (e.g., a bus token to attend a focus group, a gift card for a completed survey response).

23. “Indicator” means a measure that helps quantify the achievement of a Well-Being Result.

24. “Local Access Mechanism” means an identifiable structure and method that helps families access and coordinate available services and supports, both public and private, to address the full range of needs encountered by families with children.

25. “Local Access Mechanism Information and Referral” means the initial interaction of the consumer with the system which is initiated by an individual seeking resource(s) either for a child or a family member or for the whole family.

26. “Local Access Mechanism Screening” means the initial triage to identify children at risk and link them to appropriate resources.

27. “Local Access Mechanism Assessment” means a comprehensive review of data from multiple sources to identify strengths, resources and needs to develop plans of care.

28. “Local Access Mechanism Evaluation” means the discipline-specific intensive study of a clinical issue performed by an appropriately credentialed professional.

29. “Local Access Mechanism Navigation” means assistance provided to families to help them identify strengths and needs and to obtain necessary services (does not constitute clinical evaluation). The individuals who provide this assistance do not carry a caseload, and are available to families as they present themselves.

30. “Local Care Team” has the meaning as stated in the Human Services Article § 8-407 of the Annotated Code of Maryland.

31. “Local Management Board” or “Board” means the entity established and maintained by each local jurisdiction pursuant to Human Services Article § 8-301 of the Annotated Code of Maryland for the purpose of overseeing and ensuring the implementation of a local interagency service delivery system for children, youth and families in that jurisdiction.

32. “Manual” means the State of Maryland Policies and Procedures Manual for Local Management Boards issued by the Office, on behalf of the Children’s Cabinet, to provide guidance on the administration and management of Maryland’s Local Management Boards.

33. “Navigation” means assistance provided to specific populations. Navigators collaborate with providers in a care network to support populations to enroll in care and to access and navigate the services they need to achieve their goals. Duties include, but are not limited to referral to clinical, psychosocial, and other care and support services, accompaniment to appointments, adherence support, routine appointment reminders, linkages to services, etc.

The staff position that provides navigation may be filled by either a legacy family member (referred to as a Family Navigator) or other appropriately trained professional or paraprofessional (referred to as a Systems Navigator). Navigators do not provide clinical

July 1, 2021 Introduction Page 5 https://codes.findlaw.com/md/human-services/md-code-hum-servs-sect-8-407.html https://law.justia.com/codes/maryland/2013/article-ghu/section-8-301/ evaluation or services. Families requiring clinical evaluation or diagnosis shall be referred to the appropriate child serving agency, organization or an appropriately credentialed professional. Navigation is not considered direct service.

34. “Office” means the Governor’s Office of Crime Prevention, Youth, and Victim Services.

35. “Out-of-home placement” has the meaning as stated in the Family Law Article § 5-501 of the Annotated Code of Maryland.

36. “Performance Measure” means a measure used to assess how well a program, agency, or service system is achieving its objectives.

37. “Plan of Care” means a written document that comprehensively describes the services to be provided to a child and family across life domains.

38. “Private Sector” means those entities that are not government-controlled. The private sector encompasses for-profit entities and nonprofit entities that are not owned or operated by government.

39. “Public Sector” means those entities that are government-controlled. The composition of the public sector varies by jurisdiction, but generally includes the police, libraries, military, public roads, public transit, primary education and healthcare for the poor.

40. “Recoverable Funds” means expenditures that have been identified as not allowable during monitoring, unallowable during reconciliation and/or unspent during reconciliation.

41. “Residential Treatment Center” has the meaning as stated in the Health-General Article § 19-301 of the Annotated Code of Maryland.

42. “Result” means a condition of well-being for children, adults, families or communities.

43. “Scorecard” means the performance management and reporting web-based application available through Clear Impact, LLC used to track Result and Indicator data and data for performance measures for all Local Management Board programs funded through the Children’s Cabinet Interagency Fund and/or the Office. Also known as the Results Scorecard™ and the Clear Impact Scorecard.

44. “Service Record” means the original or a copy of any documentary material such as referral information, case history and documentation of issues experienced, services provided, clinical summaries and formal and informal assessments, recommendations, and closing material, etc. for a child receiving service.

45. “Stipend” means a fixed sum of money paid periodically to interns, apprentices, or others who are ineligible to receive a regular salary in exchange for services provided or to defray expenses (e.g., the allowance for an AmeriCorps member).

46. “Systems of Care” means a comprehensive spectrum of mental health and other necessary services which are organized into a coordinated network to meet the multiple and changing

July 1, 2021 Introduction Page 6 https://law.justia.com/codes/maryland/2005/gfl/5-501.html https://law.justia.com/codes/maryland/2005/ghg/19-301.html https://law.justia.com/codes/maryland/2005/ghg/19-301.html needs of children and adolescents and their families and that are family-driven, youth-guided, individualized, culturally and linguistically competent, and community-based.

47. “Sustainability” means the ability to be implemented and maintained over a series of fiscal years.

48. “Youth Services Bureaus” has the meaning as stated in the Human Services Article § 9-233 of the Annotated Code of Maryland.

49. “Wraparound” means a service delivery model that includes a collaborative process in which the Child and Family Team assists in the development and implementation of an individualized Plan of Care that includes specified outcomes and adheres to the standards and guidelines set forth by the National Wraparound Initiative.

July 1, 2021 Introduction Page 7 https://codes.findlaw.com/md/human-services/md-code-hum-servs-sect-9-233.html

SECTION I – OVERVIEW

Subsection 10 – Establishment

A. The establishment of Local Management Boards was originally provided for in Article 49D that was enacted in 1990 and expired on June 30, 2005.

B. In response to the sunset of Article 49D, Executive Order 01.01.2005.34 was issued on June 9, 2005 establishing the Children’s Cabinet and the Office (later amended by Executive Order 01.01.2006.03).

C. Local Management Boards were re-codified in Human Services Article Title 8 of the Annotated Code of Maryland effective October 1, 2007.

Subsection 20 – State Structure

A. Children’s Cabinet

1. The Children’s Cabinet, through the Office,:

a. Specifies the roles and responsibilities of the Boards;

b. Establishes fiscal and program accountability in the implementation of Community Partnership Agreements (Agreements) and the use of other State resources by the Boards;

c. Establishes procedures to ensure the confidentiality of information shared by Board members and employees in accordance with State and federal law;

d. Develops a Three-Year Plan for improving outcomes for Maryland’s children and families; and,

e. Reports annually to the Governor and the Legislature on progress towards established goals.

B. The Children and Youth Division

1. Role in relation to Local Management Boards:

a. Partner “with Local Management Boards to plan, coordinate, and monitor the delivery of integrated services along the full continuum of care…”

b. “Assist the Children’s Cabinet in the allocation of any funds assigned to the Children’s Cabinet for distribution as grants to any State agency, local government or organization, local management board, or private organization.”

C. Children’s Cabinet Implementation Team (Implementation Team)

1. The Implementation Team is chaired by the Assistant Deputy Director of the Office.

2. The Implementation Team is composed of the Deputy Secretaries/Assistant Superintendents or another executive staff of the Children’s Cabinet and other agencies or offices.

July 1, 2021 Section I Page 8 http://dhs.maryland.gov/documents/Licensing-and-Monitoring/Maryland%20Law%20Articles/RCC/Human%20Services%20Article%208-101.pdf

3. The role of the Implementation Team is to:

a. Develop implementation plans for approval by the Children’s Cabinet;

b. Match expectations and resources, both existing and newly-developed (collectively or individually from alternative sources);

c. Identify and address factors that may impede effective implementation;

d. Provide technical assistance, monitoring, and oversight to local programs and agencies;

e. Support ongoing evaluation and continuous program improvement, including resolution of interagency barriers or shared service delivery obstacles;

f. Monitor performance and results; and,

g. Report progress to the Children’s Cabinet on a quarterly basis.

Subsection 30 – Monitoring

A. The Board will be monitored to determine compliance with:

1. The requirements of any agreements or contracts funded by the Office and/or the Fund;

2. The State of Maryland Policies and Procedures Manual for Local Management Boards; and,

3. Federal, State and local laws, regulations and policies.

B. Scope

1. Manual requirements that are subject to monitoring are highlighted in green in this Manual.

B. Schedule

1. The Office, or its representative, will monitor the Boards on a periodic basis.

2. The monitoring plan and schedule for the fiscal year will be released to the Boards by the Office.

3. The frequency of monitoring and schedule of site visits is subject to change as determined by the Office and/or directed by the Children’s Cabinet.

4. The Office and the Children’s Cabinet reserve the right to conduct unscheduled monitoring visits and/or other monitoring activities that are not identified in the published plan and/or schedule, and without prior notification to the Board as deemed necessary.

a. The provisions in Part D of this Subsection do not apply in the event of an unscheduled monitoring site visit.

C. Access

1. The Board shall make available all data, records, and any other documents as requested.

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2. The Board shall ensure access to all materials referenced and any other documents and/or materials as requested.

D. Site Visit

1. Site visits may be conducted in accordance with the published monitoring plan and schedule.

2. Prior to the site visit, the Office staff, or its representative, will contact the Board Point of Contact and Board Chair to:

a. Schedule or confirm the site visit;

b. Describe the monitoring scope;

c. Discuss any materials to be completed in advance of the site visit, as applicable;

and,

d. Provide a list of required documents to be made available during the site visit.

3. During the site visit, the monitor(s) will review the Board’s files, case records, fiscal documents, policies and procedures, monitoring tools and documentation and other materials such as, but not limited to, those listed in the scheduling letter as needed to ascertain compliance with the requirements as noted in part A, above.

4. The scope of the site visit will be determined prior to the visit and communicated to the Board in advance and will include, but is not limited to:

a. Programs/initiatives funded through the Agreement;

b. Other programs/initiatives funded by the Office and/or the Children’s Cabinet;

and,

c. Those Manual requirements identified in green that will be monitored.

5. The monitor(s) will review revenue and expenditures to ensure standards, policies, and procedures are consistent with the approved budget and supported by adequate documentation in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) or Generally Accepted Government Accounting Principles (GAGAP), the Agreement and this Manual.

6. In order to verify the appropriateness of all related expenditures, the monitor(s) will review the use of fund proceeds as reported. Back-up documentation must be maintained on-site, be available upon request, correlate with the mandatory reporting, and be maintained as necessary to ensure that obligations under the award, and other standards as they apply, are met.

E. Conclusion of Monitoring

1. At the conclusion of the monitoring process, the monitor(s) may provide the Board with the opportunity for:

a. An informal debriefing;

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b. A discussion of the timeline for issuance of the monitoring report; and/or,

c. A review of next steps, including additional materials to be submitted.

2. The Office will issue a monitoring report to the Board Chair and Point of Contact within sixty

(60) calendar days of completion of the monitoring process and upon receipt of all materials requested.

3. The Board will have the opportunity to submit additional written documentation to the Office within twenty-one (21) calendar days of the date of the monitoring report if the Board disagrees with the conclusions reached in the report.

a. Any such additional documentation shall be mailed to the Office and any copies shall be of original documents.

b. Documentation that lacks applicable signatures and dates will not be accepted by the Office.

c. The additional documentation should be related to the issues identified and addressed in the monitoring report.

d. If additional documentation is provided by the Board, it will be reviewed by the Office, and the Office will determine if a reconsideration of the conclusion(s) is supported.

e. Upon consideration of this additional documentation, the Office may leave its finding(s) and/or conclusion(s) intact, set forth additional finding(s) and/or conclusion(s), or enter new finding(s) and/or conclusion(s). Any such consideration and/or reconsideration will be final.

4. If no written response by the Board is received by the Office within twenty-one (21) calendar days of the issuance of the monitoring report, the Office will consider the report to have been accepted by the Board.

5. Once the report has been accepted by the Board, the Board shall take corrective action on each finding and/or recommendation cited in the monitoring report.

6. The Office, on behalf of the Children’s Cabinet, may require the Board to develop and implement a written remediation plan, outlining actions to rectify one or more findings and/or implement recommendations as noted in the monitoring report.

7. Whether or not a written remediation plan is required, the Board should be in compliance with Manual requirements at all times and should implement any corrective action necessary to remedy findings as cited in a monitoring report as soon as is practicable.

F. Recovery and Reconsideration of Recovery

1. If recoverable funds are identified in the monitoring report that is accepted by the Board, the Office may defer recovery until the reconciliation for the fiscal year is completed or will issue a request for payment of funds due, and will provide the Board with thirty (30) days to

July 1, 2021 Section I Page 11 either make payment or submit a request for reconsideration of the requirement for fiscal recovery to the Office.

2. In any request for reconsideration, the Board should clearly state the basis for, and include documentation in support of, its position.

3. The Office will review the request for reconsideration and adopt a schedule for resolution of the matter within sixty (60) days of receipt of the request for reconsideration.

4. The decision of the Office regarding a request for reconsideration of intended fiscal recovery is final and is not subject to further appeal.

Subsection 40 – Letters of Support/Commitment

A. A Board that desires to obtain a letter of support/commitment from the Office for a project or grant proposal must submit to the Assistant Deputy Director of the Office a request that includes:

1. The details about the project (abstract, Executive Summary, etc.);

2. A draft of the proposed letter of support/commitment; and,

3. The date by which the letter is requested.

B. Requests:

1. Requests must be submitted by the beneficiary of the proposed grant. The Office will not accept a request from a grant writer/agent/other third party.

2. Requests should be submitted as soon as possible to the Office, but no later than fourteen

(14) days from the date the support/commitment letter is due.

C. Any commitment/support to be given by the Office will be for the concept and will be for a defined period - usually one (1) year.

D. A request to categorize funding from the Office or the Children's Cabinet as match for any grant (including a renewal or reapplication) must be submitted to the Office by the beneficiary of the proposed grant and not a grant writer/agent/other third party.

Subsection 50 - Required Signatures

A. Where signatures are required, only the complete, original signature of the specified individual(s) will be accepted.

B. Electronic signatures, signature stamps, typed signatures, and other alternatives may be accepted.

Subsection 60 – Waivers

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A. The Board may request a waiver of any requirement herein except for the provision regarding ownership of fixed assets noted in Section IV, Subsection 10 D.

B. If a Board intends to propose a program for funding that falls outside of the required criteria set by the Children’s Cabinet, the Board may request a waiver under the following circumstances:

1. The program has been identified as a critical need in the community plan;

2. No other similar service exists in the jurisdiction to meet the need;

3. The Board has received no less than three (3) letters of rejection for funding for the program from a public sector, charitable trust, or foundation funder; and,

4. The Board can demonstrate that the loss of service will have a significant negative impact on vulnerable children or families in the jurisdiction.

C. The Board should send a written request for a waiver via email to the Assistant Deputy Director of the Office who will submit the request for consideration as appropriate.

1. The request should include:

a. The rationale for the proposed waiver;

b. How the Board will ensure compliance should a waiver be granted;

c. The timeframe for the proposed waiver;

d. Signatures by the designated Point of Contact and Board Chair; and,

e. In the case of a proposed program that falls outside of the Children’s Cabinet criteria for funding, documentation that demonstrates the requirements contained in Subsection 60 B 1-4.

2. The Office will respond to the Board within thirty (30) days of receipt of a waiver request, unless additional information from the Board is required or the request is incomplete.

D. Waivers should be submitted in advance, or as soon as is practicable.

Subsection 70 – Awards

A. Award letters will not be issued to Boards that are delinquent in progress reports, performance measures reporting, financial reports, or other required information associated with current funding.

Subsection 80 – Grant Application Deadline and Late Application Submission

A. Applications that are submitted by Boards in response to a Notice of Funding Availability or another solicitation that are late or otherwise do not conform to the stated submission guidelines may be considered if extenuating circumstances prevented the timely and/or complete submission.

1. Extenuating circumstances include, but are not limited to:

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a. Serious illness that affects key Local Management Board staff;

b. Unforeseen events or emergencies; and/or,

c. Other reasons as approved by the Office or the Children’s Cabinet over which the Board has no control.

B. Issues that arise during the technical review of submitted applications for which there is an immediate remedy are not part of this policy.

C. Late applications will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the Office.

D. Decisions of the Office with respect to late or incomplete submissions are final.

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SECTION II – BOARD REQUIREMENTS

Subsection 10 – Board Roles

A. Key Roles of the Board Include:

1. Acting as the neutral convener in each jurisdiction to stimulate local action by State and local government, public and private providers, business and industry, and residents to create an effective system of services, supports, and opportunities that improve outcomes for children, youth, and families;

2. Planning, coordinating, implementing, and managing a local interagency service delivery system for children, youth and families;

3. Participating in the development and the implementation of a community planning process;

4. Developing and expanding the local community-based service delivery system for children and their families;

5. Strengthening the decision-making capacity at the local level;

6. Designing and implementing strategies to achieve desired results;

7. Maintaining standards of accountability for locally-agreed upon results for children and families;

8. Influencing the allocation of resources across systems as necessary to accomplish the desired results;

9. Building local partnerships to coordinate children, youth and family services within the county to eliminate fragmentation and duplication of services;

10. Representing local residents, communities, and State and local government; and,

11. Writing grants and assisting with local resource development to diversify local funding sources.

B. Administrative Functions of the Board Include:

1. Assessment of community needs;

2. Development, review and implementation of a community planning process;

3. Local Care Team membership;

4. Development, review and implementation of Request for Proposal/Notice of Funding Availability and other solicitations, as applicable; and,

5. Contracting with the State and vendors as needed to achieve desired results.

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Subsection 20 – Board Responsibilities

A. Each Board will:

1. Monitor and evaluate funded programs and contracts for performance and compliance;

2. Designate staff to fully-execute the Agreement and other grants awarded from the Office and/or the Children’s Cabinet, within budgetary limits;

3. Ensure policies and procedures are in place as required;

4. Notify the Office in writing of any Board changes, including, but not limited to Board name, address, phone number, Point of Contact, Board chair, etc. Notification of changes should be sent to the Assistant Deputy Director of the Office via email as soon as the change is known;

5. Designate a Point of Contact for the Board as a means of communication with the Office;

6. Designate an individual to attend or participate by phone in meetings with the Office. These meetings provide a regular forum for communication between the Office and the Boards about expectations, changes in policies and regulations, best practices, highlights of Board work, and other pertinent information;

7. Operate according to written practices, rules and/or protocols;

8. Adopt its jurisdiction’s policies and/or establish its own written policies and procedures for personnel, procurement, finance and accounting, ensuring that those policies are revised as necessary to reflect changes in this Manual and other applicable federal, State, and/or local laws, regulations and policy; and,

9. Make its policies and procedures accessible to its community partners.

Subsection 30 – By-Laws

A. Each Board shall have written by-laws that reflect actual practice and are approved by the Board and the governing body of the jurisdiction, as applicable.

B. If the Board elects not to include conflict of interest requirements in the by-laws, the Board shall establish a separate policy specifying the procedures for Board member and staff conflicts of interest.

Subsection 40 – Board Meetings

A. The Board should meet on a regular basis in accordance with its by-laws.

B. The Board should maintain minutes to document attendance and the business conducted at the meetings.

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C. Committees established by the by-laws or other action of the Board should maintain minutes to document attendance and the business conducted at the meetings.

Subsection 50 – Laws, Regulations and Policies

A. The Board shall comply with all applicable federal, State and local laws, regulations, and policies, including any regulations or written requirements adopted by the Office and/or the Children’s Cabinet.

B. Criminal Background Checks and Clearances

1. A national and State criminal history records check is required for individuals in accordance with State law, including Family Law Article § 5-551 of the Annotated Code of Maryland and

COMAR 12.15.02.

2. The Board shall ensure that vendors are in compliance with the criminal background check requirements.

3. The Board shall ensure that vendors develop and comply with policies and procedures to respond to situations in which a criminal background check discloses criminal activity.

4. When a criminal background check is not required pursuant to the Family Law Article noted above, it is recommended that the Board seek legal counsel and consider the possible liabilities of not requiring a criminal background check for all persons who have contact with children.

C. Confidentiality

1. In accordance with federal and State law, the Board and its vendors shall maintain the confidentiality of children and families served and shall not disclose the name or other identifying information about the child and/or family, including in its written or electronic correspondence with the Office or other entities, except as permitted by law.

2. When communicating confidential information pertaining to children, youth, families:

a. The communication shall be sent in an encrypted format and password protected;

b. The communication and the password for the encrypted communication shall be sent separately to the recipient;

c. The Board shall develop and implement its own procedure to ensure confidentiality is maintained; and,

d. Hard copy communication shall have identifying information redacted.

3. Confidential information shall not be shared using cloud or other online storage and synchronization services (Dropbox, Google Drive, etc.) unless encrypted and HIPAA compliant.

D. Record Retention

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1. Records will be maintained in accordance with the provisions noted herein and in compliance with federal and State law.

2. Records that are developed and/or maintained in hard copy format will be stored, accessed, and retained in accordance with federal and State laws and procedures.

3. Records that are developed and/or maintained in electronic format will be stored, accessed, and retained in accordance with federal and State laws and procedures including Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act.

4. The following protections will be implemented in addition to federal and State requirements:

a. Electronically-formatted records will be maintained for the required retention period in a format that is accessible to authorized Office staff and equipment;

b. Access and storage authorization and procedures for electronic records will be the same as for hard copy records;

c. Any and all electronically-formatted records that are stored on a server will be encrypted with limited password-only access to authorized persons; and,

d. Any and all electronically-formatted records that are stored on a system controlled by a vendor will be in an encrypted format, and governed by written certification from the vendor that the records will be accessed, maintained, stored, and retained in accordance with federal and State laws and procedures, and that the vendor will implement all reasonable methods to preserve the confidentiality of the records and limit access to only those authorized access to the records.

Subsection 60 – Using Results and Indicators

A. This Subsection details how results and indicators will be used by the Board.

1. The Children’s Cabinet and the Office are committed to partnering with the Boards to improve outcomes for Maryland children, youth and families.

2. The methodology for measuring progress towards improved outcomes is Results-Based Accountability (also referred to as Results Accountability) which is the basis for the development of the Community Partnership Agreement that directly connects resource allocation to specific, measurable results.

3. The application of the Results-Based Accountability framework includes a review of both population-level accountability and performance accountability:

a. Population Accountability

i. Measures how well an entire population in a jurisdiction is faring.

ii. Is established through a process that utilizes the following questions:

a) What results is the Board trying to achieve?

b) What does the data tell the Board? What are the indicators that tell the Board if it is making progress towards reaching the results that the Board is trying to achieve? Is the indicator getting better or

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c) What is the story behind the data and the direction it is heading?

d) Who are the partners who have a role to play in doing better?

e) What strategies work to “turn the curve” and make things better?

f) What is the Board’s action plan and budget?

b. Performance Accountability

i. Determines how well individual programs are performing.

ii. Is established through a process that considers the following questions:

a) Who are the customers?

b) How can the Board measure if the customers are better off?

c) What are the current measures with regard to service delivery?

d) What partners have a role to play in doing better?

e) What is the story behind the measures?

f) What works to improve these measures?

g) What is the Board’s action plan and timeline?

4. Boards are required to use the Results-Based Accountability process in:

a. Developing and implementing the Community Partnership Agreement with the

Children’s Cabinet;

b. Utilization of the Scorecard, the web-based application for data collection and reporting required for all Boards and programs funded by the Children’s Cabinet and/or the Office; and,

c. Board agreements or contracts with vendors.

5. All vendor agreements for programs/strategies funded by the Children’s Cabinet and/or the Office will include performance measures developed through the Results-Based Accountability process and approved by the Office that will be entered in the Scorecard with relevant outcome data entered at intervals determined by the Office.

B. Maryland’s Results and Indicators

1. The Children’s Cabinet has adopted Maryland’s Child Well-Being Results and Indicators

(Results and Indicators) as the accountability mechanism for Community Partnership Agreements.

2. The Office and the Children’s Cabinet routinely collect data to measure child well-being. This State and jurisdictional data is publically available on the Scorecard by clicking on “Results and Indicators” at: http://goccp.maryland.gov/score-card-overview/.

3. The Boards will use the Results and Indicators for planning, assessing community needs, decision-making, establishing goals for the jurisdiction and measuring progress.

4. Maryland’s Child Well-being Results and the corresponding Indicators are:

a. Babies Born Healthy

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i. Infant Mortality: The number of deaths occurring to infants under one year of age per 1,000 live births, for all infants, and for infants in selected racial groups.

ii. Births to Adolescents: The rate of births to adolescent females ages 15 through 19 per 1,000 in the age-specific population.

iii. Low Birth Weight: The percent of all births and births in selected racial groups with birth weight < 2,500 grams (approximately 5.5 pounds).

iv. Women with Prenatal Care in the First Trimester: The percent of all births and births in selected racial groups with prenatal care beginning in the first trimester.

b. Healthy Children

i. Health Insurance Coverage: The percent of children who have health insurance coverage.

ii. Immunizations: The percent of children ages 19 through 35 months who have received the full schedule of recommended immunizations.

iii. Obesity: The percent of Maryland public school students in grades 9-12 who are overweight or obese.

iv. Hospitalizations: The nonfatal injury hospitalization rate for self-inflicted injuries to children ages 0-21 per 100,000 of the population.

v. Depressive Episode: The percent of public school students in grades 6-8 and grades 9-12 reporting a depressive episode (felt sad or hopeless).

vi. Physical Activity: The percent of public school students in grades 6-8 and grades 9-12 reporting physical activity for 60 minutes in the last 7 days.

vii. Vapor Product Use: The percent of public school students in grades 6-8 and grades 9-12 reporting electronic vapor product use.

c. Children Enter School Ready to Learn

i. Kindergarten Readiness Assessment (KRA): % Demonstrating Readiness: The percent of students who received “Demonstrating Readiness" on their composite, or overall, KRA score.

d. Children are Successful in School

i. MCAP: Math: The average percent of public school students in grades 3 and

8 performing at or above Performance Level 4 on the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program.

ii. MCAP: Reading: The average percent of public school students in grades 3 and 8 performing at or above Performance Level 4 on the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program.

iii. Chronic Absenteeism: The percent of students enrolled in school at least 10 days who are absent for 10% or more days.

iv. MSAA: English: The percent of students in grades 8 and 11 scoring at or above Proficient on the English Multi-State Alternative Assessment.

v. MSAA: Math: The percent of students in grades 8 and 11 scoring at or above Proficient on the Math Multi-State Alternative Assessment.

e. Youth Will Complete School

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i. Educational Attainment: High School Graduate (Includes Equivalence): The percent of young adults ages 18 through 24 who have completed high school (includes equivalency).

ii. Four-Year Cohort Graduation Rate

iii. Program Completion of Students with Disabilities: The percent of students with disabilities who graduated with a diploma.

f. Youth Have Opportunities for Employment or Career Readiness

i. Youth Employment: The percent of 16-19 year olds in the labor force who are unemployed.

ii. Youth Employment: The percent of 20-24 year olds in the labor force who are unemployed.

iii. Percent of High School Graduates Who Complete a Career and Technology

Education (CTE) Program.

iv. Youth Disconnection: The Percent of Youth Not Working and Not in School:

The percentage of youth ages 16-24 who are not enrolled in school and not working or not currently seeking employment.

g. Communities are Safe for Children, Youth and Families

i. Crime: The rate of violent crimes committed per 1,000 persons.

ii. Hospitalizations: The nonfatal injury hospitalization rate for assault injuries to children and youth ages 0-21 per 100,000 of the population.

iii. Child Maltreatment: The rate of unduplicated children ages 0-17 with

Indicated/Unsubstantiated child abuse/neglect findings (per 1,000).

iv. Juvenile Felony Offenses: The rate of referrals, per 100,000 youth ages 11 through 17, for felony offenses including both violent and non-violent charges.

v. Lead Levels: The percent of children under 72 months of age with confirmed blood lead levels (BLL) > 5 µg/dL.

vi. Out-of-Home Placements: The rate of children placed in out-of-home placements per 1,000 children ages 0-18.

h. Families are Economically Stable

i. Child Poverty: The percent of children under age 18 whose family income is equal to or below the federal poverty threshold.

ii. Homelessness: The percent of children enrolled in the public school system who lack a fixed, regular, and adequate nighttime residence or who are awaiting foster-care placement.

iii. Percent of Families Spending > 35% Income on Housing (Rent and Utilities).

iv. Percent of Families Spending > 35% Income on Housing (Mortgage and

Utilities).

5. The Board may prioritize local indicators on which to focus in addition to State indicators.

Subsection 70 – Contracting

A. Contracting with the Office and the Children’s Cabinet:

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1. Community Partnership Agreement

a. The Agreement is the contract executed between the Children’s Cabinet and each

Board that is individualized to the needs of the jurisdiction and details the roles and responsibilities of each party including the services to be provided to the community and the funds awarded.

b. The Agreement is composed of the following sections:

i. Standard Provisions – Including the scope of the agreement and standard legal clauses such as term, termination and general provisions and conditions of agreement;

ii. Appendix A – The Program Description Chart that details the specific programs/strategies to be implemented by the Board including the Results to be addressed, the Indicators to be used to measure progress and the performance measures for each program/strategy; and,

iii. Appendix B – The annual budget for the funds awarded to the Board by the Office and/or the Children’s Cabinet.

a) Appendix B may be modified from the project budget submitted in the original application, and represents final approved expenses for program/strategy and governs expenditures accordingly.

b) All administrative expenses for Local Management Board staff, including but not limited to salaries, fringe, operating expenses, etc., must be identified only in the Board Support budget.

c. A new Agreement in its entirety, or new Appendices, as appropriate, will be executed for each term.

i. The Agreement must be fully-executed by 5 p.m. on the last business day of the first quarter of each fiscal year (September 30th).

d. The contract period shall be the State’s fiscal year (July 1 through June 30) unless otherwise stated in the Agreement.

e. Preparation of the Agreement:

i. Upon successful completion of the application process, the Office will issue instructions on the preparation of the Agreement, including the requirements for the Appendices.

ii. Performance measures for each funded program/strategy are required and shall be submitted in accordance with instructions issued by the Office.

a) Performance measures shall include:

i) Quantity of effort: How much did you do?

ii) Quality of effort: How well did you do it?

iii) Quality of effect: Is anyone better off? (Child and family results or outcomes)

b) Incomplete submissions or those that do not adhere to the established guidelines will be rejected by the Office with a request for revision.

c) Boards will utilize standardized performance measures adopted for applicable programs/strategies. In the absence of standardized measures, the Board will develop measures and submit to the Office for approval in advance of implementation.

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f. Modification of the Executed Agreement:

i. To request a modification to the Agreement, the Board will submit a request to the attention of the Assistant Deputy Director of the Office in accordance with the protocol established by the Office.

a) The Assistant Deputy Director will review and approve or deny the request on behalf of the Office/Children’s Cabinet within thirty (30) days, provided no additional information from the Board is necessary.

b) After the approval of the modification request, the Assistant Deputy Director will provide instruction and issue the forms necessary to execute the approved change/modification.

ii. Requests for modifications must be received by May 15th (or the next business day if May 15th falls on a weekend or holiday) for an Agreement that expires at the close of the fiscal year.

iii. Approved modification forms will be signed by authorized representatives of the Board and/or Subdivision, as applicable, and the Assistant Deputy Director of the Office.

iv. The modification must be requested and the Office’s approval obtained prior to the Board implementing any changes related to the modification.

g. Modification Before an Executed Agreement:

i. To request a modification to the application before the Agreement is executed, the Board will submit a request to the attention of the Assistant Deputy Director of the Office in accordance with the protocol established by the Office.

a) The Assistant Deputy Director will review and approve or deny the request on behalf of the Office/Children’s Cabinet within thirty (30) days, provided no additional information from the Board is necessary.

b) After the approval of the request, the Assistant Deputy Director will provide instruction on the next steps and issue the forms necessary to execute the approved change/modification.

ii. Requests for a modification must be received prior to the issuance of the Agreement.

iii. Approved modification forms will be signed by authorized representatives of the Board and/or Subdivision, as applicable, and submitted via email to the attention of the Assistant Deputy Director.

iv. The modification must be requested and the Office’s approval obtained prior to the Board implementing any changes related to the modification.

h. Reporting:

i. Reports on…