(20 ILCS 1705/11.4) Sec. 11.4. Care portal for families with children who have complex behavioral health needs. The Department shall establish and maintain a public-facing Care Portal to serve as a centralized resource for families with children who have significant and complex behavioral health needs. The Care Portal shall streamline the process of directing families and guardians to the appropriate level and type of care for their children. In consultation with the Children's Behavioral Health Transformation Officer, the Department shall develop specifications for the Care Portal that ensure automatic service eligibility matching, transparent data sharing, regular reporting, and appropriate staffing, among other items. The Department shall, in coordination with the Departments of Children and Family Services, Healthcare and Family Services, Juvenile Justice, and Public Health as well as the State Board of Education, develop training and communication for school districts, hospital social workers, and system partners to demonstrate how individuals can assist a family seeking youth behavioral health services and how to access the Care Portal. Such training must include information on the applicable federal and State law for the determination of the need for residential placements for educational purposes by individualized education program (IEP) teams. Procedures for use of the Care Portal must not prohibit or limit residential facilities from accepting students placed by school districts for educational purposes as determined by the IEP team.
(Source: P.A. 103-546, eff. 8-11-23.) |