1. (a)

   1. (1) The Division of Children and Family Services will work with their local, designated community mental health centers to ensure adequate mental health services are available to meet the needs of children and families.

   2. (2)

      1. (A) The Division of Children and Family Services Area Directors are responsible for working with the CMHC directors and staff to establish an oversight process.
      2. (B) The oversight process should include:

2. (i) A review of current services and quality improvement measures;

   1. (ii) An identification of problem issues or barriers; and

      1. (iii) Methods to resolve any issues or barriers.

3. (b) The Area Director will hold an individual meeting, at least annually, with each CMHC in their area to:

   1. (1) Review the current status of the mental health services system for the area;
   2. (2) Identify barriers to implementation of mental health services; and

   3. (3) Develop a plan to address the identified barriers in provision of services.

      1. (c) If CMHC staff believes that the Division of Children and Family Services staff is not ensuring appropriate referrals and involvement in treatment, they will:
   4. (1) Attempt to resolve the issue with the appropriate the Division of Children and Family Services county supervisor; and

   5. (2) If the issue cannot be resolved at the county level, contact the appropriate Area Director.

      1. (d) If the Division of Children and Family Services staff believes that CMHC staff are not providing adequate services, they will:
   6. (1) Attempt to resolve the issue with the CMHC Children’s Services Director or other designated staff at the CMHC; and
   7. (2) If the issue cannot be resolved, contact the CMHC Director.

4. (e) If an issue cannot be resolved through the aforementioned processes, the parties will contact the following senior staff to resolve the issue:

   1. (1) The Division of Children and Family Services Assistant Director of Field Operations;
   2. (2) Division of Aging Adult and Behavioral Health Services Assistant Director for Children’s Services; and
   3. (3) The Division of Children and Family Services Mental Health Specialist.

5. (f)

   1. (1) The Community Mental Health Centers and the Division of Children and Family Services operate independently of each other.
   2. (2) All employees are expected to function in a manner that will not create any conflicts of interest.

Codification Notes: This section as promulgated prior to codification into the Code of Arkansas Rules provided as follows: "11/2011"