Subject to appropriation, the board shall establish a comprehensive interdisciplinary health education and human service discretionary grant program. Funds for this program may be appropriated from the Health Protection Fund established by section two T of chapter twenty–nine. Comprehensive interdisciplinary health education and human service programs shall include, but not be limited to, planning and coordination activities, curriculum development, in–service training components for all school staff, in–service education, instruction, school counseling services, health service delivery, promotion of knowledge of child development and appropriate care, effective parenting skills for parents and adolescents, and parent education services which will promote improved home based learning, the prevention of substance abuse, tobacco use, family violence, child abuse and neglect, teenage pregnancy and eating disorders, AIDS and suicide, and promote sound health practices including nutritional health and emotional development, improved school counseling services, early intervention services for high risk students, peer counseling and education, incentives for participation by students of both sexes, and increased coordination between schools, parents and existing community services, especially for those students most in need. As the primary educators of their children, parents shall play a substantial role in the design, development and implementation of programs and curriculum.

(b) Subject to appropriation or third party reimbursement, the secretary shall:

• (1) establish a network of child and family service programs and family resource centers throughout the commonwealth to provide community-based services to families with children requiring assistance under subsection (c);

• (2) develop guidelines and Standard necessary to achieve and maintain, on a statewide basis, a comprehensive and integrated network of community-based services and family resource centers for children and families;

• (3) promote efficiency by including in the network of community-based services and family resource centers access to the following services: (i) organizations that are part of the comprehensive community-based behavioral health delivery system coordinated by the secretary under section 16S; (ii) organizations that provide services or have experience in coordinating access to community-based services such as local schools; (iii) other local public agencies and private organizations; and (iv) local medical, behavioral or mental health care providers;

• (4) coordinate the services provided by the network and in the family resource centers including, but not limited to, outreach, intake, screening, assessment and referral to services;

• (5) encourage cooperation among local providers as needed to provide the full complement of services required under this section;

• (6) monitor and provide technical assistance to family resource centers and providers of community-based services;

• (7) require the use of standard intake screening and assessment tools to evaluate families and children seeking community-based services which shall identify the family’s strengths, resources and service needs including, but not limited to, mental health, behavioral health or substance abuse treatment, basic family shelter, clothing and food needs, child care needs, health insurance status, legal issues, education placement and child protection; and

• (8) create a data collection system for use by programs within the community-based services network and family resource centers which shall: (i) maintain the privacy of clients served, (ii) assist programs and the secretary in addressing the needs of the population to be served, (iii) collect information including, but not limited to, insurance status and benefit coverage of clients served, income documentation as needed to apply a sliding fee scale for payment or waiver of payment for services and (iv) such other information deemed necessary to assist the program and the secretary in providing services, identifying service needs and gaps and evaluating the effectiveness of family resource centers and the community-based services network.

"The Office of Student and Family Support (SFS) works in partnership with educators, schools, students, families, and other agencies and organizations across the Commonwealth to advance the Department's mission."