Youth development and diversion.

Existing law establishes the State Department of Social Services, which has authority over various programs aimed at providing services for needy individuals, including programs targeted for at-risk youth. This bill would require the department, in collaboration with the State Department of Public Health, to establish and oversee a 3-year pilot program known as the Office of Youth Development and Diversion (OYDD) Pilot Program. The bill would provide that the purpose of the program would be to advance a comprehensive, coordinated, and expanded approach to youth diversion, with the goal of minimizing youth contact with the juvenile or criminal justice systems. The bill would require the department to award grants to up to 5 counties to establish a local OYDD. Under the bill, the local OYDD would be administered by the county public health department or the county health services department. The bill would prescribe goals, timelines, and requirements for the local OYDD. Upon the completion of the 3-year pilot program, the bill would require the department to post on its internet website a report of the grantees, projects, and outcomes.