The Florida Senate

411.221  Prevention and early assistance strategic plan; agency responsibilities.--

(1)  The ¹Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services and the Department of Education shall prepare a joint strategic plan relating to prevention and early assistance, which shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(a)  Identification of the department which has the responsibility for each program area described in the continuum.

(b)  Identification of the unit within each department which has responsibility for each program area described in the continuum.

(c)  Identification of existing continuum programs on an intraagency and interagency basis.

(d)  Identification of strategies for coordination of services on both an intraagency and interagency basis and a description of the progress of implementation of strategies.

(e)  Identification of strategies for reducing duplication of services on both an intraagency and interagency basis and a description of progress of those strategies in reduction of duplication.

(f)  Identification of activities for coordination and integration of prevention and early assistance services with state agencies other than the Department of Education or the ¹Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services.

(g)  Identification of activities for coordination and integration of prevention and early assistance services at the district and local levels and strategies for public and private partnerships in the provision of the continuum of services.

(h)  Recommendations for implementation of the continuum of comprehensive services, including, but not limited to, the schedule for implementation of components.

(i)  Identification of barriers impacting implementation of components of the continuum of services.

(j)  Proposed changes to the continuum of services.

(k)  Identification of methods of comparing program and child and family outcomes and identification of standardized reporting procedures to enhance data collection and analysis on an intraagency and interagency basis.

(l)  Recommendations, if any, for legislative, administrative, or budgetary changes. Budgetary changes shall include recommendations regarding the development by the ¹Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services and the Department of Education of a unified program budget for all prevention and early assistance services to high-risk pregnant women and to high-risk preschool children and their families. Such budget recommendations shall be consistent with the goals of the joint strategic plan and with the continuum of comprehensive services.

(2)  The strategic plan and subsequent plan revisions shall incorporate and otherwise utilize, to the fullest extent possible, the evaluation findings and recommendations from intraagency, independent third-party, field projects, and reports issued by the Auditor General or the Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability, as well as the recommendations of the State Coordinating Council for School Readiness Programs.

(3)  At least biennially, the ¹Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services and the Department of Education shall readdress the joint strategic plan submitted pursuant to this section and make necessary revisions. The revised plan shall be submitted to the Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the President of the Senate no later than January 1 of each odd-numbered year.

(4)  There is established an interagency coordinating council to advise the ¹Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services, the Department of Education, and other state agencies in the development of the joint strategic plan and to monitor the development of the plan. For the purpose of carrying out its responsibilities, the interagency coordinating council shall have access to statistical information, budget documents, and workpapers developed by the ¹Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services and the Department of Education in preparing the joint strategic plan. The interagency coordinating council shall advise the appropriate substantive committees of the Senate and House of Representatives, and the Office of the Governor, on the progress of activities required in this chapter.

History.--s. 2, ch. 89-379; s. 17, ch. 94-154; s. 6, ch. 97-98; s. 22, ch. 2000-337; s. 115, ch. 2001-266.

¹Note.--The Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services was redesignated as the Department of Children and Family Services by s. 5, ch. 96-403, and the Department of Health was created by s. 8, ch. 96-403.