5855. (Amended by Stats. 2024, Ch. 948, Sec. 50.)
The State Department of Health Care Services shall adopt as part of its overall mission the development of community-based, comprehensive, interagency systems of care that target children with serious emotional and behavioral disturbance separated from their families or at risk of separation from their families, as defined in Section 5856. These comprehensive, interagency systems of care shall seek to provide the highest benefit to children, their families, and the community at the lowest cost to the public sector. Essential values shall be as follows:
(a)Family preservation. A child shall be maintained in…#
(a) Family preservation. A child shall be maintained in their home with the child’s family whenever possible.
(b)Least restrictive setting. A child shall be placed in…#
(b) Least restrictive setting. A child shall be placed in the least restrictive and least costly setting appropriate to the child’s needs when out-of-home placement is necessary.
(c)Natural setting. A child benefits most from mental…#
(c) Natural setting. A child benefits most from mental health services in the child’s natural environment, where the child lives and learns, such as home, school, foster home, or a juvenile detention center.