HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

19

TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2010

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE department of human services TO CREATE A DATABASE RESOURCE WEBSITE To HOUSE REAL-TIME AVAILABILITY OF ALL JUVENILE SERVICES FROM THE LOWEST LEVEL OF CARE TO THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF CARE FOR THE APPROPRIATE PLACEMENT OF JUVENILES IN HAWAII.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, the current practice for placing juveniles in programs is guided by probation officers advising judges; and

 

     WHEREAS, placing juveniles in the most appropriate level of care is often difficult due to limited program options and difficulty knowing placement availability in real time; and

 

     WHEREAS, placing juveniles at Hawaii Youth Correctional Facility (HYCF) when they may not require that level of care, as a response to lack of known options, should be avoided; and

 

     WHEREAS, an inappropriate placement at HYCF can lead to further developmental hardship and decreased recovery and rehabilitation efforts for youth; and

 

     WHEREAS, finding appropriate levels of care requires real-time availability and placement information that can be obtained by judges and probation officers to allow them to be aware of openings or programs to address each youth's needs; and

 

     WHEREAS, creating a real-time available database website with an easy-to-use selection process can allow probation officers, judiciary, community agencies, social workers, families, etc., to access the most appropriate program for a juvenile's unique needs; and
     WHEREAS, providing this website could assist the judiciary and other agencies with information critical to placing juveniles by making information such as eligibility criteria, funding restrictions, program focus, and services offered available; and

 

     WHEREAS, this website could be used as a valuable preventive measure allowing families and community organizations to research programs before their youths get to a point where they become wards of the state or involved in criminal activity; and

 

     WHEREAS, collaboration between the state, other governmental, non-profit, and community-based organizations who provide services to youth will enhance continuity of care and improve awareness of services available for all levels of care; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2010, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Human Services is requested to create a database resource website to house real-time availability of all juvenile services from the lowest level of care to the highest level of care for the appropriate placement of juveniles in Hawaii; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Director of Human Services, Superintendant of Education, and Director of Public Safety.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Real-time database availability of all juvenile services