1. It is the policy of this state and its agencies to implement a foster care and child protection and welfare system focused on providing the highest quality of services and outcomes for children and their families. The department of social services shall implement such system subject to the following principles:

(1) The safety and welfare of children is paramount;

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(2) All providers of direct services to children and their families will be evaluated in a uniform, transparent, objective, and consistent basis based on an evaluation tool established in this section;

(3) Services to children and their families shall be provided in a timely manner to maximize the opportunity for successful outcomes, and such services shall be tracked and routinely evaluated through a quality assurance program;

(4) Any provider of direct services to children and families shall have the appropriate and relevant training, education, and expertise to provide the highest quality of services possible which shall be consistent with federal and state standards;

(5) Resources and efforts shall be committed to pursue the best possible opportunity for a successful outcome for each child. Successful outcomes may include preparing youth for a productive and successful life as an adult outside the foster care system, such as independent living. For those providers that work with children requiring intensive twenty-four-hour treatment services, successful outcomes shall be based on the least restrictive alternative possible based on the child’s needs as well as the quality of care received; and

(6) All service providers shall prioritize methods of reducing or eliminating a child’s need for residential treatment through community-based services and supports.

2. (1) In conjunction with the response and evaluation team established under subsection 3 of this section, as well as other individuals the division deems appropriate, the division shall establish an evaluation tool that complies with state and federal guidelines.

(2) The evaluation tool shall include metrics supporting best practices for case management and service provision including, but not limited to, the frequency of face-to-face visits with the child.

(3) There shall be a mechanism whereby providers may propose different evaluation metrics on a case-by-case basis if such case may have circumstances far beyond those that would be expected. Such cases shall be evaluated by the response and evaluation team under subsection 3 of this section.

(4) Data regarding all evaluation metrics shall be collected by the division on a monthly basis, and the division shall issue a quarterly report regarding the evaluation data for each provider, both public and private, by county. The response and evaluation team shall determine how to aggregate cases for the division and large contractors so that performance and outcomes may be compared effectively while also protecting confidentiality. Such reports shall be made public and shall include information by county.

(5) The standards and metrics developed through this evaluation tool shall be used to evaluate competitive bids for future contracts established under subsection 4 of this section.

3. The division shall create a response and evaluation team. Membership of the team shall be composed of five staff members from the division with experience in foster care appointed by the director of the division; five representatives, one from each contract region for foster care case management contracts under this section, who shall be annually rotated among contractors in each region, which shall appoint the agency; two experts working in either research or higher education on issues relating to child welfare and foster care appointed by the director of the division and who shall be actively working for either an academic institution or policy foundation; one juvenile officer or a Missouri juvenile justice director to be appointed by the Missouri Juvenile Justice Association; and one juvenile or family court judge appointed by the supreme court. The division shall provide the necessary staffing for the team’s operations. All members shall be appointed and the team shall meet for the first time before January 1, 2021. The team shall:

(1) Review the evaluation tool and metrics set forth in subsection 2 of this section on a semiannual basis to determine any adjustments needed or issues that could affect the quality of such tools and approve or deny on a case-by-case basis:

(a) Cases that a provider feels are anomalous and should not be part of developing the case management tool under subsection 2 of this section;

(b) Alternative evaluation metrics recommended by providers based on the best interests of the child under subsections 2 and 5 of this section; or

(c) Review and recommend any structure for incentives or other reimbursement strategies under subsection 6 of this section;

(2) Develop and execute periodic provider evaluations of cases managed by the division and children service providers contracted with the state to provide foster care case management services, in the field under the evaluation tool created under subsection 2 of this section to ensure basic requirements of the program are met, which shall include, but are not limited to, random file review to ensure documentation shows required visits and case management plan notes; and

(3) Develop a system for reviewing and working with providers identified under subdivision (2) of this subsection or providers who request such assistance from the division who show signs of performance weakness to ensure technical assistance and other services are offered to assist the providers in achieving successful outcomes for their cases.

4. The children’s division and any other state agency deemed necessary by the division shall, in consultation with service providers and other relevant parties, enter into and implement contracts with qualified children’s services providers and agencies to provide a comprehensive and deliberate system of service delivery for children and their families. Contracts shall be awarded through a competitive process and provided by qualified public and private not-for-profit or limited liability corporations owned exclusively by not-for-profit corporations children’s services providers and agencies which have:

(1) A proven record of providing child welfare services within the state of Missouri which shall be consistent with the federal standards, but not less than the standards and policies used by the children’s division as of January 1, 2004; and

(2) The ability to provide a range of child welfare services including, but not limited to, case management services, family-centered services, foster and adoptive parent recruitment and retention, residential care, in-home services, foster care services, adoption services, relative care case management, planned permanent living services, and family reunification services.

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No contracts under this section shall be issued for services related to the child abuse and neglect hotline, investigations of alleged abuse and neglect, and initial family assessments. Any contracts entered into by the division shall be in accordance with all federal laws and regulations, and shall seek to maximize federal funding. Children’s services providers and agencies under contract with the division shall be subject to all federal, state, and local laws and regulations relating to the provision of such services, and shall be subject to oversight and inspection by appropriate state agencies to assure compliance with standards which shall be consistent with the federal standards.

5. The division shall accept as prima facie evidence of completion of the requirements for licensure under sections 210.481 to 210.511 proof that an agency is accredited by any of the following nationally recognized bodies: the Council on Accreditation of Services, Children and Families, Inc.; the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals; or the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.

6. Payment to the children’s services providers and agencies shall be made based on the reasonable costs of services, including responsibilities necessary to execute the contract. Any reimbursement increases made through enhanced appropriations for services shall be allocated to providers regardless of whether the provider is public or private. Such increases shall be considered additive to the existing contracts. In addition to payments reflecting the cost of services, contracts shall include incentives provided in recognition of performance based on the evaluation tool created under subsection 2 of this section and the corresponding savings for the state. The response and evaluation team under subsection 3 of this section shall review a formula to distribute such payments, as recommended by the division.

7. The division shall consider immediate actions that are in the best interests of the children served including, but not limited to, placing the agency on a corrective plan, halting new referrals, transferring cases to other performing providers, or terminating the provider’s contract. The division shall take steps necessary to evaluate the nature of the issue and act accordingly in the most timely fashion possible.

8. By July 1, 2021, the children’s division shall promulgate and have in effect rules to implement the provisions of this section and, pursuant to this section, shall define implementation plans and dates. Any rule or portion of a rule, as that term is defined in section 536.010, that is created under the authority delegated in this section shall become effective only if it complies with and is subject to all of the provisions of chapter 536 and, if applicable, section 536.028. This section and chapter 536 are nonseverable and if any of the powers vested with the general assembly pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to delay the effective date, or to disapprove and annul a rule are subsequently held unconstitutional, then the grant of rulemaking authority and any rule proposed or adopted after August 28, 2004, shall be invalid and void.