(a) The role of the school district or preschool in each approved primary intervention program shall be to do all of the following:
(1) Arrange for mental health professionals based at the program site to supervise program staff and procedures. These persons may be either pupil personnel staff or local mental health program staff.
(2) Recruit and train child aides.
(3) Screen and assess children in accordance with guidelines established by the department.
(4) Provide individual and group play sessions to selected children in accordance with guidelines established by the department.
(5) Provide space and equipment for child aide sessions with children and for staff meetings.
(6) Establish and maintain program records.
(7) Prepare program reports in accordance with guidelines established by the department.
(8) Submit periodic statements of program grant fund expenditures to the local mental health program for reimbursement in accordance with the approved program budget.
(b) The role of the local mental health program in each approved jointly proposed primary intervention program shall be to:
(1) Administer state program grant funds awarded by the department by contracting with the school district or preschool to provide a primary intervention program in accordance with this chapter and the joint proposal of the local mental health program and the school district or preschool as approved by the department.
(2) Contribute professional staff to the program to do both of the following:
(A) Assist the school district or preschool in the recruiting and initial training of child aides.
(B) Provide ongoing case consultation and training to the child aides at regular intervals at the program site.
(3) Ensure access to appropriate mental health treatment services available within the county’s program for those children in the program and their families who require services that are beyond the scope and purposes of the primary intervention program.
(c) The role of the State Department of Mental Health in each approved primary intervention program shall be to:
(1) (A) Develop a contract with the local mental health program for provision of a primary intervention program in accordance with this chapter and the joint proposal of the local mental health program and school district or preschool as approved by the department.
(B) Develop contracts with the county superintendent of schools or a school district for provision of a primary intervention program in accordance with this chapter and the proposal submitted by the county superintendent of schools or a school district pursuant to paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 4348.
(2) Develop contracts with school districts or local mental health programs to permit the establishment of technical assistance centers to support in the timely and effective implementation of the primary intervention programs. Technical assistance centers shall be in districts which have successfully implemented programs over a period of time.
(3) Disburse program grant funds to the local mental health program or county superintendent of schools or school district in accordance with terms of the contract.
(4) Conduct visits to each program site at least once during the first year of funding, and thereafter as necessary, in order to determine compliance with this chapter and the contract and to determine training needs of program staff.
(5) Provide for periodic training workshops for program staff.
(6) Establish guidelines for program procedures, screening and assessment of children, records, and reports.
(Amended by Stats. 1991, Ch. 858, Sec. 9. Effective October 14, 1991.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018