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.
Funding
The Children's Cabinet Interagency Fund (CCIF) is codified in Maryland statutes and guided by priorities of the Maryland Children’s Cabinet. CCIF funds are administered by the Governor’s Office for Children (GOC) in accordance with Md. Human Services Code Ann. §8-508. The purpose of the CCIF is to provide resources at the local level to strengthen community-based services to children, youth, and families with a focus on the Children’s Cabinet priorities in alignment with state-wide goals.
Local Care Teams (LCT)
Locally Coordinated Interagency Case Management
The Children’s Cabinet is committed to strengthening the system of care for children and youth at the local level through a coordinated approach to interagency case management. The goal of this coordinated approach is to return or divert children and youth from preventable out-of-home, out-of-State, and hospital and other overstay placements through the provision of community-based services.
Local Care Teams
Local Care Teams serve as the point of access to services for children and youth. As of January 1, 2018, the Local Management Boards are the administrative home for the Local Care Teams. Parents, family members or agencies make referrals directly to the Local Care Teams to seek assistance with accessing services, to develop plans of care for community-based services and to coordinate services from multiple agencies. Families and children at risk of out-of-home or out-of-State placement, with complex needs and/or who are in crisis are identified as priorities for the Local Care Teams. Please contact the Local Care Team Coordinator in your jurisdiction to request assistance or submit a referral.
Resources
For more details about the Local Care Teams, please contact Christina Drushel Williams, [email protected].
