MS HB950

Establishes that the Mississippi Statewide System of Care is designed to reduce reliance on state-run and private institutions for children and youth and expand intensive home- and community-based services, with a goal to permanently reduce state-run psychiatric beds and divert funding to community-based services.

Requires the Interagency System of Care Council to develop a pre-screening evaluation tool to identify children with serious behavioral and emotional disorders who can be diverted from institutional placement, and prohibits the Department of Mental Health from accepting children for institutional placement without a completed pre-screen evaluation.

Mandates the creation of an Intensive Home-Based Services Team to plan and implement expansion of intensive home-based services with a goal of reducing commitments and beds by 30% at three specified facilities by July 1, 2013.

Requires the Intensive Home-Based Services Team to identify youth in state facilities for 90+ days and develop unique child and family teams to provide services needed to return youth to their home communities within 90 days of commitment.

Prohibits the Department of Human Services from placing children in psychiatric residential treatment facilities when less-restrictive environments are available and requires provision of medically necessary home- and community-based services to children in department custody.