(a) There is a State Resource Plan for Residential Child Care Programs. (b) The purpose of the Plan is to enhance access to services provided by residential child care programs. (c) On or before July 1 of each year, the Department of Human Services shall develop the Plan in consultation with the agencies, providers, counties, child advocates, consumers, and any other State unit, entity, or person that the Department identifies as having relevant information or that is interested in the development of the Plan. (d) The Plan shall: (1) provide a framework for the Department and the agencies to procure residential child care program services that meet the needs identified in the Plan; (2) provide the following information on residential child care programs: (i) the county where each program is operated; (ii) the provider for each program; (iii) the actual capacity and utilization rate for each program; (iv) the ages of the children in each program; (v) the county where each child in a program lived at the time the child entered out-of-home placement; (vi) the services children require and a description of how those services are being provided; (vii) the agency that placed children in each program; and (viii) any other information the Department or the agencies, providers, or counties consider relevant; (3) identify the types of services needed in residential child care programs and the estimated number of children requiring those services in each county; (4) identify the counties where the services identified in item (3) of this subsection are insufficiently supplied; (5) establish an incentive fund for residential child care program development in the counties identified in item (4) of this subsection; and (6) identify the reasons children are placed in residential child care programs outside of the counties where the children lived at the time they entered out-of-home placement in accordance with § 5-525 of the Family Law Article. (e) On or before January 1 of each year, the Department shall report to the Governor and, in accordance with § 2-1257 of the State Government Article, the Senate Finance Committee and the House Health and Government Operations Committee on the Plan's findings and recommendations.
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