(a) The Department shall serve children in the juvenile services system with programming that: (1) ensures the safety of the community and the children served; (2) holds delinquent children accountable to victims and communities; (3) assists children to develop competencies to become successful members of society; (4) delivers services on a regional basis through at least four operational regions; (5) (i) ensures that each committed facility owned by the Department serves no more than 48 children at one time; and (ii) ensures that each committed facility licensed by the Department serves no more than 48 children at one time, unless the Secretary finds good cause for a committed facility licensed by the Department to serve more than 48 children at one time; (6) uses detention and committed facilities that are operationally separate from each other and that do not share common program space, including dining halls and educational or recreational facilities; and (7) provides females with a range and quality of services and programs to meet their specific needs, including: (i) diversion programs; (ii) community detention services and programs; and (iii) reentry services and programs. (b) A region shall: (1) include at least one secure facility used solely for children pending court disposition and children awaiting placement after disposition; (2) except for specialized services as provided in subsection (c) of this section, include a number of committed facilities estimated to be necessary to diagnose, care for, train, educate, and properly rehabilitate every child from the region in the custody of the Department; and (3) include a nonpublic facility only if the Department determines that the facility: (i) has provided or will efficiently and effectively provide adequate care for the children placed in the facility; and (ii) has demonstrated or will demonstrate a record of success based on standards promulgated by the Department. (c) The Department may place a child into a committed facility outside the child's region if a determination is made by the Department that specialized services for the child require the placement in the best interests of the child.
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