HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

16

TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES, AND JUDICIARY TO PERMANENTLY ESTABLISH AND PARTICIPATE IN THE HAWAII INTERAGENCY STATE YOUTH NETWORK OF CARE TO BETTER SERVE YOUTH AND FAMILIES WITH COMPLEX NEEDS IN THE STATE.

 

 


     WHEREAS, the Department of Education, Department of Health, Department of Human Services, and Judiciary are responsible for serving the multiple needs of children, youth, and families; and

 

     WHEREAS, many children, youth, and families, particularly those with complex educational, behavioral, and social-emotional needs, experience significant challenges and hardship navigating the State's child-serving system; and

 

     WHEREAS, children and youth with complex needs who do not receive services face numerous negative consequences, including lower educational achievement, increased likelihood of involvement in the juvenile justice system, and fewer stable and longer-term placements in the child welfare system than their peers; and

 

     WHEREAS, to better serve children, youth, and families, the Department of Education, Department of Health, Department of Human Services, and Judiciary have committed to the goals of the Child and Adolescent Service System Program, including to:

 

     (1)  Promote the development of a wide array of services to meet the needs of identified children;

 

     (2)  Integrate multiple services into a well-coordinated system of care to make sure children are receiving the most appropriate services; and

 

     (3)  Increase the ability of parents and professionals to work together for the benefit of the children; and

 

     WHEREAS, a seamless system of care has numerous positive outcomes for children and youth, including the improvement of school attendance and grades; increasing stability of living situations; and decreasing behavioral health challenges, suicide rates, substance abuse, and involvement in the juvenile justice system; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Department of Education, Department of Health, Department of Human Services, and Judiciary formed the Hawaii Interagency State Youth Network of Care (HISYNC) to increase collaboration among state agencies and to develop a system of care for children, youth, and families; and

 

     WHEREAS, representatives of children, youth, and families are included as valued HISYNC members and regularly attend meetings to give recommendations and to ensure that the child-serving system is responsive to the needs of children, youth, and families; and

 

     WHEREAS, the HISYNC members primarily work to improve outcomes for Hawaii's children, youth, and families through:

 

     (1)  The continuous review and analysis of data to identify areas for system and service improvement;

 

     (2)  The recommendation of policies to address barriers within the child-serving system;

 

     (3)  Collaboration, coordination, and integration of state programs, services, and resources;

 

     (4)  Planning on joint treatment and management of specific youth; and

 

     (5)  Stakeholder problem-solving around multi-agency challenges; and

 

     WHEREAS, HISYNC has implemented and supported several multi-agency initiatives to promote interagency collaboration, including:

 

     (1)  A multi-agency memorandum of operation to formalize partnership of the state agencies comprising the interagency committee and to firmly establish the committee's mission and vision;

 

     (2)  A multi-agency consent form for information sharing that streamlines the process for parents to access care, thus alleviating the often duplicative and numerous forms that parents need to complete and sign;

 

     (3)  A jointly-funded independent facilitator position to carry out the daily activities of HISYNC and the Hawaii Interagency Local Youth Network of Care (HILYNC) committees;

 

     (4)  An annual interagency report with data on youth served, costs, and outcomes, which brings together the story of youth in Hawaii with respect to how they are being served and supported by child-serving agencies; and

 

     (5)  Facilitating the development of local and regional HILYNC groups, also known as HILYNC committees, to promote interagency collaborative work on the local level; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-ninth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2018, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Education, Department of Health, Department of Human Services, and Judiciary are urged to permanently establish HISYNC; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education, Department of Health, Department of Human Services, and Judiciary are urged to participate in HISYNC and HILYNC; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that any additional child-serving agencies not currently members of HISYNC are urged to participate in HISYNC's interagency forum and send local representatives to each of the regional HILYNC committees; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that HISYNC is urged to coordinate the complex landscape of the child-serving system to better serve children, youth, and families; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Superintendent of Education, Director of Health, Director of Human Services, and Administrative Director of the Courts.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

HISYNC; HILYNC; Children, Youth, and Families