100 Community Place, Crownsville, Maryland, July 2016. Photo by Diane F. Evartt.
The Office strives to ensure a stable, safe and healthful environment for children and families in Maryland. For programs and services affecting children and their families, the Office identifies inefficiencies, duplications, and gaps in services and resources. The Office then analyzes departmental plans and budget requests; reviews federal, State, local and private funds used by and available to the State; and identifies items in the Governor's budget that affect programs and services for children and their families. In addition, the Office issues impact statements and makes planning and expenditure recommendations to the Governor and department heads. The Office also advises the General Assembly on the needs of youth and their families (Code Human Services Article, secs. 8-101 through 8-1003).
Goals for Child Well-being. Eight goals for child well-being have been set for the Office by the Children's Cabinet. They are defined as:
In April 2015, the Governor assigned four initiatives to the Office. The Governor's charge was to reduce the impact of parental incarceration on children, families, and communities; improve outcomes for disconnected youth; reduce childhood hunger; and reduce youth homelessness.
Local Management Boards. Since 1990, each county in Maryland has been required to establish a local management board to plan, implement, and monitor child and family services. Each board determines what services are needed within the parameters of the eight goals the Children's Cabinet has set for child well-being in Maryland. Each board enters into a community partnership agreement with the Governor's Office for Children, which assists with training and technical assistance to develop resources, implement programs, and become fiscally accountable. Reflecting the interagency nature of services for children and families, each board must include representatives from the local health department; the local office of the Department of Juvenile Services; the core service (mental health) agency; the county public school system; and the local department of social services. Other members representing public and private community organizations also may serve on a board.
Formerly located at 301 West Preston Street in Baltimore, the Office relocated to 100 Community Place, Crownsville, Maryland, in May 2016.
Appointed by the Governor, the Executive Director chairs the Children's Cabinet and the Advisory Council to the Children's Cabinet, and serves on the State Child Fatality Review Team; the Children's Environmental Health and Protection Advisory Council; the Interagency Disabilities Board; the Maryland State Drug and Alcohol Abuse Council; the Governor's Family Violence Council; the Governor's Interagency Council on Homelessness; and the Maryland Commission on Suicide Prevention.
The Office oversees two primary components: Finance and Operations, and Policy.
Finance and Operations is responsible for Children's Cabinet Interagency Fund Administration, and Fiscal and Human Resources.
CHILDREN'S CABINET INTERAGENCY FUND ADMINISTRATION
On December 30, 1999, the Board issued its first comprehensive plan for the Maryland After-School Opportunity Fund Program. The first request for proposals was distributed to local jurisdictions through local management boards in February 2000. In order to receive funding, each local jurisdiction was expected to develop a comprehensive after-school program network with significant community advice and comment.
The Advisory Board last met in 2001. Due to budget constraints, the Maryland After-School Opportunity Fund was partially funded in FY2004, and not funded at all in FY2005.
In October 2012, the Advisory Board was re-established in the Governor's Office for Children as the Advisory Board on After-School and Summer Opportunity Programs (Chapter 531, Acts of 2012; Code Human Services Article, secs. 8-1101 through 8-1107).
Policy is responsible for five main units: Disconnected Youth; Health Policy; Incarceration; Local Management Boards; and Youth Initiatives. The office is aided by the State Coordinating Council for Children.
The Council has developed procedures for local care teams to ensure that children with disabilities in residential placement receive a complete plan of care. With the local care teams, the Council monitors services for children with disabilities who may need or are in residential placement. It also maintains an information system that assures agency accountability to children with disabilities and enables the State to plan for needed services.
Ten members constitute the Council. Seven are ex officio members, two of whom do not vote. Three members are appointed by the Children's Cabinet (Code Human Services Article, secs. 8-401 through 8-404; Chapter 604, Acts of 2011).
PREVENTION STRATEGIES
Prevention Strategies helps plan and implement local programs that prevent youths from dropping out of school, committing crimes, and engaging in other activities which bring them into the juvenile justice system. Such prevention and diversion programs should serve youth in their communities with alternatives to incarceration and institutionalization, help youth gain self sufficiency, accept personal responsibility for their actions, and be ready for adulthood at age 21.
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Children's Cabinet Interagency Fund Administration oversees administration of the Children's Cabinet Fund. The Fund supports the work of local management boards in Maryland counties (Code Human Resources Article, secs. 8-501 through 8-506).
DEPUTY DIRECTOR
ADVISORY BOARD ON AFTER-SCHOOL & SUMMER OPPORTUNITY PROGRAMS
In 1999, the Advisory Board on After-School Opportunity Programs was established (Chapter 586, Acts of 1999). To address the issue of children left unsupervised after school, the Maryland After-School Opportunity Act created a fund, a program, and an executive committee, as well as the Board. In consultation with the Board and the Executive Committee, the Department of Human Resources administered the Maryland After-School Opportunity Fund. From the Fund, grants were awarded for after-school opportunity programs by the Executive Committee in consultation with the Board (Code Education Article, secs. 7-1201 through 7-1207).
POLICY
Policy formed in January 2000 as Policy and Planning. It became Policies, Initiatives, and Councils in 2003, and reorganized as Interagency Policy Development in October 2004. In June 2006, it reformed as Programs and Policy to oversee Local Management Boards Monitoring; Local Management Boards Technical Assistance; Prevention Strategies; and Research and Evaluation. In August 2007, Community Resource Development was added. In July 2009, the office was renamed Interagency Initiatives, and in June 2015 adopted its present name.
STATE COORDINATING COUNCIL FOR CHILDREN
In 1982, the State Coordinating Council for Children was authorized by the Governor as the State Coordinating Council for Residential Placement of Handicapped Children (Executive Order 01.01.1982.09). Within the Office for Handicapped Individuals, the Governor reestablished the Council in 1987 (Executive Order 01.01.1987.10). The Council moved to the Office for Children, Youth, and Families in 1990 and, was renamed the State Coordinating Council in 1993 (Chapter 419, Acts of 1990; Chapter 556, Acts of 1993). The Council adopted its present name in July 2002 (Chapter 282, Acts of 2002). Statutory authority for the Council expired July 1, 2005, and was reauthorized effective Oct. 1, 2006 (Chapter 243, Acts of 2006).
Prevention Strategies originated as Positive Youth Outcomes, and reformed under its present name in March 2008.
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