Oregon Code § 418.979·Enacted ·Last updated March 01, 2026
Statute Text
Purpose; duties; rules.
(1) The purpose of the System of Care Advisory Council is to improve the
effectiveness and efficacy of state and local systems of care that provide
services to youth by providing a centralized and impartial forum for statewide
policy development and planning.
(2) The primary
duty of the council is to develop and maintain a state system of care policy
and a comprehensive, long-range plan for a coordinated state system of care
that encompasses public health, health systems, child welfare, education,
juvenile justice and services and supports for mental and behavioral health and
people with intellectual or developmental disabilities. The plan must include,
but need not be limited to, recommendations regarding:
(a) Capacity,
utilization and types of state and local systems of care and services and
supports;
(b)
Implementation of in-home behavioral health services, crisis and transition
services, therapeutic foster care, in-home family support services and the
integration of those services with existing programs of residential services
for individuals with behavioral health needs and intellectual developmental
disabilities;
(c) Appropriate
use of existing systems of care and services and supports;
(d) Whether
additional services and supports are necessary to address gaps in coverage;
(e) Methods for
assessing the effectiveness of systems of care and services and supports in
reducing juvenile dependency or delinquency;
(f) Methods of
reducing risk of future juvenile dependency or delinquency;
(g) The effective
utilization of the local system of care governance structure;
(h) Guidelines
for partner agency core values and guiding principles; and
(i) Guidelines
that ensure cultural competence in the provision of services and supports by:
(A) Implementing
uniform standards to allow local system of care teams to describe the
culturally responsive services and supports available in a system of care.
(B) Providing
youth and families with understandable and effective system of care services in
a manner compatible with their disabilities, cultural beliefs and practices,
literacy skills and language.
(C) Developing
and implementing a process to review practices accepted by diverse communities.
(D) Identifying
ways to continually improve culturally competent system of care services and
implementing a statewide system of care that reflects culturally competent
practices.
(3) Other duties
of the council are to:
(a) Conduct joint
studies on any matter within the jurisdiction of the council by agreement with
the Oregon Youth Authority, the Department of Human Services, the Oregon Health
Authority, the Department of Education, coordinated care organizations and any
other state agencies, boards or commissions;
(b) Provide
oversight of the implementation of the services described in subsection (2)(b)
of this section by the Oregon Health Authority, the Oregon Youth Authority and
the Department of Human Services and to provide periodic updates on the
agencies implementation to the Legislative Assembly;
(c) Provide
recommendations to the Director of the Oregon Health Authority, the Director of
the Oregon Youth Authority, the Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction and
the Director of Human Services as necessary for the agencies to maintain and
strengthen the systems of care;
(d) Make
recommendations to the Director of the Oregon Health Authority, the Director of
the Oregon Youth Authority, the Deputy Superintendent of Public Instruction and
the Director of Human Services to reduce barriers to implementation of systems
of care;
(e) Continually
monitor and update the Childrens System Data Dashboard described in ORS
418.981, with a specific focus on the number of youth placed in hotels,
out-of-state placements, emergency department boarding, congregate care
facilities, shelter care or Oregon Youth Authority custody; and
(f) Award grants
from funds appropriated by the Legislative Assembly to the council or from
funds otherwise available from any other source, for the purpose of supporting
local system of care governance and for carrying out the recommendations in the
councils plan developed under subsection (2) of this section.
(4)(a) On or
before January 1 of every fourth year, the council shall update its plan under
subsection (2) of this section and submit the plan to an interim committee of
the Legislative Assembly related to youth, and to the Governor.
(b) On or before
September 15 of each year, the council shall submit a report in the manner
provided in ORS 192.245 to an interim committee of the Legislative Assembly
related to youth, and to the Governor, describing how the council is meeting
its goals and any remaining barriers to access to services and supports. The
report may include recommendations for legislation, including recommendations
for changes to the council structure, composition and operating processes.
(c) On or before