​​History

​​​The first Local Management Boards (Boards) were established during the mid-1990s in an effort to change the way services were provided to children and families in their communities. The Boards were charged with identifying priorities and targeting resources for a jurisdiction's communities. The major focus was to increase local authority to plan, implement, and monitor children and family services.

Executive Order 01.01.2005.34 was issued on June 9, 2005, establishing the Children's Cabinet and the Governor's Office for Children. During the 2006 Legislative Session, the General Assembly passed Senate Bill 294/HB301 that re-codified the Boards, and that legislation was signed into law on May 2, 2006. Article 49D was reorganized and incorporated into Title 8 of the Human Services Article of the Maryland Annotated Code effective October 1, 2007.​

Purpose

​Boards identify priorities and necessary resources for local communities in each jurisdiction they serve, while also coordinating child and family services. They empower local stakeholders in addressing the needs of and setting priorities for their communities. There is a Board in each county and in Baltimore City.

Achievements​

Boards have engineered changes in their communities that resulted in a better quality of life for children and families. To date, they have:

• Led the way in returning and diverting children from out-of-state residential placements;
• Administered funding for interagency services provided to children at-risk of out-of-home placements;
• Increased collaboration between local stakeholders and agencies serving children and families; and
• Served as the coordinating and administering agency for programs that serve the community including School-Based Health Centers, C-Safe, Youth Strategies Initiative, Maryland Afterschool Opportunity Fund, Home Visiting/Healthy Families, etc.