The Florida Senate

985.21  Intake and case management.--

(1)(a)  During the intake process, the juvenile probation officer shall screen each child or shall cause each child to be screened in order to determine:

1.  Appropriateness for release, referral to a diversionary program including, but not limited to, a teen-court program, referral for community arbitration, or referral to some other program or agency for the purpose of nonofficial or nonjudicial handling.

2.  The presence of medical, psychiatric, psychological, substance abuse, educational, or vocational problems, or other conditions that may have caused the child to come to the attention of law enforcement or the Department of Juvenile Justice. The child shall also be screened to determine whether the child poses a danger to himself or herself or others in the community. The results of this screening shall be made available to the court and to court officers. In cases where such conditions are identified, and a nonjudicial handling of the case is chosen, the juvenile probation officer shall attempt to refer the child to a program or agency, together with all available and relevant assessment information concerning the child's precipitating condition.

3.  The Department of Juvenile Justice shall develop an intake and a case management system whereby a child brought into intake is assigned a juvenile probation officer if the child was not released, referred to a diversionary program, referred for community arbitration, or referred to some other program or agency for the purpose of nonofficial or nonjudicial handling, and shall make every reasonable effort to provide case management services for the child; provided, however, that case management for children committed to residential programs may be transferred as provided in s. 985.316

4.  In addition to duties specified in other sections and through departmental rules, the assigned juvenile probation officer shall be responsible for the following:

a.  Ensuring that a risk assessment instrument establishing the child's eligibility for detention has been accurately completed and that the appropriate recommendation was made to the court.

b.  Inquiring as to whether the child understands his or her rights to counsel and against self-incrimination.

c.  Performing the preliminary screening and making referrals for comprehensive assessment regarding the child's need for substance abuse treatment services, mental health services, retardation services, literacy services, or other educational or treatment services.

d.  Coordinating the multidisciplinary assessment when required, which includes the classification and placement process that determines the child's priority needs, risk classification, and treatment plan. When sufficient evidence exists to warrant a comprehensive assessment and the child fails to voluntarily participate in the assessment efforts, it is the responsibility of the juvenile probation officer to inform the court of the need for the assessment and the refusal of the child to participate in such assessment. This assessment, classification, and placement process shall develop into the predisposition report.

e.  Making recommendations for services and facilitating the delivery of those services to the child, including any mental health services, educational services, family counseling services, family assistance services, and substance abuse services. The juvenile probation officer shall serve as the primary case manager for the purpose of managing, coordinating, and monitoring the services provided to the child. Each program administrator within the Department of Children and Family Services shall cooperate with the primary case manager in carrying out the duties and responsibilities described in this section.

The Department of Juvenile Justice shall annually advise the Legislature and the Executive Office of the Governor of the resources needed in order for the intake and case management system to maintain a staff-to-client ratio that is consistent with accepted standards and allows the necessary supervision and services for each child. The intake process and case management system shall provide a comprehensive approach to assessing the child's needs, relative risks, and most appropriate handling, and shall be based on an individualized treatment plan.

(b)  The intake and case management system shall facilitate consistency in the recommended placement of each child, and in the assessment, classification, and placement process, with the following purposes:

1.  An individualized, multidisciplinary assessment process that identifies the priority needs of each individual child for rehabilitation and treatment and identifies any needs of the child's parents or guardians for services that would enhance their ability to provide adequate support, guidance, and supervision for the child. This process shall begin with the detention risk assessment instrument and decision, shall include the intake preliminary screening and comprehensive assessment for substance abuse treatment services, mental health services, retardation services, literacy services, and other educational and treatment services as components, additional assessment of the child's treatment needs, and classification regarding the child's risks to the community and, for a serious or habitual delinquent child, shall include the assessment for placement in a serious or habitual delinquent children program pursuant to s. 985.31 The completed multidisciplinary assessment process shall result in the predisposition report.

2.  A classification system that assigns a relative risk to the child and the community based upon assessments including the detention risk assessment results when available to classify the child's risk as it relates to placement and supervision alternatives.

3.  An admissions process that facilitates for each child the utilization of the treatment plan and setting most appropriate to meet the child's programmatic needs and provide the minimum program security needed to ensure public safety.

(2)  The intake process shall be performed by the department through a case management system. The purpose of the intake process is to assess the child's needs and risks and to determine the most appropriate treatment plan and setting for the child's programmatic needs and risks. The intake process shall result in choosing the most appropriate services through a balancing of the interests and needs of the child with those of the family and the public. The juvenile probation officer is responsible for making informed decisions and recommendations to other agencies, the state attorney, and the courts so that the child and family may receive the least intrusive service alternative throughout the judicial process. The department shall establish uniform procedures for the juvenile probation officer to provide, prior to the filing of a petition or as soon as possible thereafter and prior to a disposition hearing, a preliminary screening of the child and family for substance abuse and mental health services.

(3)  A report, affidavit, or complaint alleging that a child has committed a delinquent act or violation of law shall be made to the intake office operating in the county in which the child is found or in which the delinquent act or violation of law occurred. Any person or agency having knowledge of the facts may make such a written report, affidavit, or complaint and shall furnish to the intake office facts sufficient to establish the jurisdiction of the court and to support a finding by the court that the child has committed a delinquent act or violation of law.

(4)  The juvenile probation officer shall make a preliminary determination as to whether the report, affidavit, or complaint is complete, consulting with the state attorney as may be necessary. In any case where the juvenile probation officer or the state attorney finds that the report, affidavit, or complaint is insufficient by the standards for a probable cause affidavit, the juvenile probation officer or state attorney shall return the report, affidavit, or complaint, without delay, to the person or agency originating the report, affidavit, or complaint or having knowledge of the facts or to the appropriate law enforcement agency having investigative jurisdiction of the offense, and shall request, and the person or agency shall promptly furnish, additional information in order to comply with the standards for a probable cause affidavit.

(a)  The juvenile probation officer, upon determining that the report, affidavit, or complaint is complete, pursuant to uniform procedures established by the department, shall:

1.  When indicated by the preliminary screening, provide for a comprehensive assessment of the child and family for substance abuse problems, using community-based licensed programs with clinical expertise and experience in the assessment of substance abuse problems.

2.  When indicated by the preliminary screening, provide for a comprehensive assessment of the child and family for mental health problems, using community-based psychologists, psychiatrists, or other licensed mental health professionals with clinical expertise and experience in the assessment of mental health problems.

When indicated by the comprehensive assessment, the department is authorized to contract within appropriated funds for services with a local nonprofit community mental health or substance abuse agency licensed or authorized under chapter 394, or chapter 397, or other authorized nonprofit social service agency providing related services. The determination of mental health or substance abuse services shall be conducted in coordination with existing programs providing mental health or substance abuse services in conjunction with the intake office. Client information resulting from the screening and evaluation shall be documented pursuant to rules established by the department and shall serve to assist the juvenile probation officer in providing the most appropriate services and recommendations in the least intrusive manner. Such client information shall be used in the multidisciplinary assessment and classification of the child, but such information, and any information obtained directly or indirectly through the assessment process, is inadmissible in court prior to the disposition hearing, unless the child's written consent is obtained. At the disposition hearing, documented client information shall serve to assist the court in making the most appropriate custody, adjudicatory, and dispositional decision. If the screening and assessment indicate that the interest of the child and the public will be best served thereby, the juvenile probation officer, with the approval of the state attorney, may refer the child for care, diagnostic and evaluation services, substance abuse treatment services, mental health services, retardation services, a diversionary or arbitration or mediation program, community service work, or other programs or treatment services voluntarily accepted by the child and the child's parents or legal guardians. The victim, if any, and the law enforcement agency which investigated the offense shall be notified immediately by the state attorney of the action taken under this paragraph. Whenever a child volunteers to participate in any work program under this chapter or volunteers to work in a specified state, county, municipal, or community service organization supervised work program or to work for the victim, the child shall be considered an employee of the state for the purposes of liability. In determining the child's average weekly wage, unless otherwise determined by a specific funding program, all remuneration received from the employer is considered a gratuity, and the child is not entitled to any benefits otherwise payable under s. 440.15, regardless of whether the child may be receiving wages and remuneration from other employment with another employer and regardless of the child's future wage-earning capacity.

(b)  The juvenile probation officer, upon determining that the report, affidavit, or complaint complies with the standards of a probable cause affidavit and that the interest of the child and the public will be best served, may recommend that a delinquency petition not be filed. If such a recommendation is made, the juvenile probation officer shall advise in writing the person or agency making the report, affidavit, or complaint, the victim, if any, and the law enforcement agency having investigative jurisdiction of the offense of the recommendation and the reasons therefor; and that the person or agency may submit, within 10 days after the receipt of such notice, the report, affidavit, or complaint to the state attorney for special review. The state attorney, upon receiving a request for special review, shall consider the facts presented by the report, affidavit, or complaint, and by the juvenile probation officer who made the recommendation that no petition be filed, before making a final decision as to whether a petition or information should or should not be filed.

(c)  Subject to the interagency agreement authorized under this paragraph, the juvenile probation officer for each case in which a child is alleged to have committed a violation of law or delinquent act and is not detained shall submit a written report to the state attorney, including the original report, complaint, or affidavit, or a copy thereof, including a copy of the child's prior juvenile record, within 20 days after the date the child is taken into custody. In cases in which the child is in detention, the intake office report must be submitted within 24 hours after the child is placed into detention. The intake office report may include a recommendation that a petition or information be filed or that no petition or information be filed, and may set forth reasons for the recommendation. The State Attorney and the Department of Juvenile Justice may, on a district-by-district basis, enter into interagency agreements denoting the cases that will require a recommendation and those for which a recommendation is unnecessary.

(d)  The state attorney may in all cases take action independent of the action or lack of action of the juvenile probation officer, and shall determine the action which is in the best interest of the public and the child. If the child meets the criteria requiring prosecution as an adult pursuant to s. 985.226, the state attorney shall request the court to transfer and certify the child for prosecution as an adult or shall provide written reasons to the court for not making such request. In all other cases, the state attorney may:

1.  File a petition for dependency;

2.  File a petition pursuant to chapter 984;

3.  File a petition for delinquency;

4.  File a petition for delinquency with a motion to transfer and certify the child for prosecution as an adult;

5.  File an information pursuant to s. 985.227;

6.  Refer the case to a grand jury;

7.  Refer the child to a diversionary, pretrial intervention, arbitration, or mediation program, or to some other treatment or care program if such program commitment is voluntarily accepted by the child or the child's parents or legal guardians; or

8.  Decline to file.

(e)  In cases in which a delinquency report, affidavit, or complaint is filed by a law enforcement agency and the state attorney determines not to file a petition, the state attorney shall advise the clerk of the circuit court in writing that no petition will be filed thereon.

(5)  Prior to requesting that a delinquency petition be filed or prior to filing a dependency petition, the juvenile probation officer may request the parent or legal guardian of the child to attend a course of instruction in parenting skills, training in conflict resolution, and the practice of nonviolence; to accept counseling; or to receive other assistance from any agency in the community which notifies the clerk of the court of the availability of its services. Where appropriate, the juvenile probation officer shall request both parents or guardians to receive such parental assistance. The juvenile probation officer may, in determining whether to request that a delinquency petition be filed, take into consideration the willingness of the parent or legal guardian to comply with such request. The parent or guardian must provide the juvenile probation officer with identifying information, including the parent's or guardian's name, address, date of birth, social security number, and driver's license number or identification card number in order to comply with s. 985.2311

History.--s. 5, ch. 90-208; s. 8, ch. 92-287; s. 16, ch. 93-39; s. 7, ch. 93-230; s. 35, ch. 94-209; s. 1346, ch. 95-147; s. 12, ch. 95-267; s. 2, ch. 96-234; s. 163, ch. 97-101; s. 18, ch. 97-238; s. 11, ch. 98-207; s. 2, ch. 99-257; s. 34, ch. 99-284; s. 23, ch. 2000-135; s. 17, ch. 2001-125; s. 2, ch. 2004-241.

Note.--Former s. 39.047.