What We Heard: Guidance and Resources
The System of Care team is pleased to share the insights gathered during our listening sessions on recommended best practices for the development and engagement of Interagency Leadership Teams (ILTs). The ILT serves as the governing and coordinating body of this collaborative.
As outlined in AB 2083, ILTs should consist of leaders from child-serving programs and departments such as the Chief Probation Officer, Tribes, the Director of Mental Health, the Director of Social Services or the Human Services Agency, the Superintendent of the County Office of Education, and Regional Center Executive Director, or designee.
Structure & Focus:
- Consider holding formalized, recurring meetings rather than ad-hoc sessions
- Consider soliciting outside consultants and/or join spaces that facilitate shared learning to guide improvements
- Assess the need for creating a child/youth-specific level within the ILT, with the purpose of focusing on individual cases
- Example: the Calaveras Care Team is a countywide, multidisciplinary team who reviews and supports referred children/youth and their families
- Establish an administrative support component to the ILT
- Utilize Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS)-centered data as well as education-centered data as a way to engage and utilize the ILT to assess and coordinate care
Inclusion & Representation:
- County Offices of Education who administer the Foster Youth Services Coordinating Program
- Consider involving foster youth ambassadors and parents/caregivers with lived experience in ILT decision-making; if additional resources are needed, please contact [email protected]
- Consider inviting leaders of key initiatives to present to System of Care (SOC) partners
- Consider adding the following partners as regular and contributing participants in the ILT:
- Representatives of Local Education Agencies (LEAs), and Special Education Local Plan Areas (SELPA) located in the county
- Managed Care Organizations and Child Welfare Liaisons
- Youth, parents, families and caregivers
- Tribal affairs partners or representatives
- For assistance with outreach and/or technical assistance:
- Department of Social Services (if separate from Child Welfare Services)
- Superior Court Judge or Commissioner (i.e., Juvenile Court representative)
- Consider the role of LEAs, their corresponding School Attendance Review Boards, county offices of education, and SELPAs in the ILT and if these roles may facilitate connections to county and community services that would augment an LEA's instructional and support services systems
Training & Shared Understanding:
- Implement joint ICPM trainings, onboarding, and cross-agency education on regional centers, child welfare agencies, probation departments, mental health plans, LEAs, SELPAs and others, especially with Tribal representatives
- Implement training for awareness on ICPM and MTSS intersections within the Education setting:
- Provide training internally on AB 2083 and to external agencies
- Promote shared language around services/programs
Assessment & Tools:
- Develop a universal assessment approach
- Develop a crosswalk of services available across the county
Operational Efficiency:
- Encourage case sharing and feedback loops to inform ILT recommendations
- Leverage a dedicated SOC coordinator position to support continuity
Data and Information Sharing:
- Members of the interagency leadership team as described in WIC Section 16521.6 (a)(3)(A) are able to disclose and exchange data/information
- When the Child and Family Team (CFT) convenes, members shall share information to ensure the timely coordination of appropriate services
- For guidance, refer to page 9 and 10 of ALL COUNTY LETTER NO. 22-73
- Educational Stability and Best Interest Determination Joint Letter
- This joint guidance document between the California Department of Education (CDE) and the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) is intended to provide local educational agencies (LEAs), child welfare agencies, and probation departments with guidance corresponding to conducting a best interest determination (BID)
- Care Partners may use the ASCMI-CalAIM form to obtain an individual’s consent for real-time data sharing between Care Partners and to support care coordination; although the ASCMI Form is initially being implemented for Medi-Cal Members, it is designed for use by all individuals in California
For More
Please visit the System of Care general webpage and the System of Care Technical Assistance webpage.