§18-21-3. Secretary of Department of Human Services responsibilities.

The Secretary of the Department of Human Services shall:

(1) Identify a county with the most at-risk youth, that also has adequate facilities and community leadership, to run a community-based pilot program that brings together both state and local organizations, to work collaboratively to provide comprehensive, intense wrap-around services to at-risk youth and their families in a seamless coordinated system; and

(2) Identify the challenges confronting the most at-risk youth and their families and make specific recommendations to the pilot program administrators to improve the outcomes for these youths; specifically, to reduce the number of abuse and neglect cases to reduce the number of youth in out-of-home and out-of-state placements; to reduce high school drop-out rates, to reduce substance abuse among youth including smoking, reduce teen pregnancies, to reduce juvenile delinquency and to reduce the number of juvenile delinquents and youth aging out of foster care that eventually enter into the adult criminal justice system.

(3) Document best practices which can be replicated in other counties.

(4) Establish base line and goals for each performance measure in conjunction with the director of the community-based organization operating the pilot project.

(5) Beginning in January 2013, on or before the first day of the regular session of the Legislature, and each year thereafter, the Secretary of Department of Human Services along with the director of the community-based organization operating the pilot program shall make a status report to the Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Resources Accountability.