Empowering Communities to Serve Youth
A collaborative, child-centered, family-focused, community-based system of care that effectively meets the needs of youth and their families in the Commonwealth.
Systems of Care: Promotes policies, uniform guidelines, services, funding, and practices that support systems of care in communities that can be tailored to meet the unique strengths, resources, and needs of youth, families, and communities.
Family Focused: Promotes working in partnership with families to ensure that the assessment, design, delivery, and management of service is family driven.
Continuum of Care: Provides access to a continuum of assessment, early intervention, treatment, and transition services and supports in communities.
Integrated Services across Agencies: Provides for integrated services and funding for youth and their families with designated care management to ensure multiple services are coordinated across agencies and evolve over time to meet the changing strengths and needs of children and their families.
Collaboration: Supports open communication, active participation, and collaboration among CSA stakeholders across all sectors and at all levels on program and fiscal policy development and service development, delivery, and management.
Fiscal Accountability: Ensures fiscal accountability in that funds are spent effectively, efficiently, and equitably, maximizing the use of all local, state, federal, and private funding streams.
Inclusive Excellence: Foster a culture of inclusion, diversity, opportunity, equity, and mutual respect for all Virginians.
The Children's Services Act (CSA) is the law enacted in 1993 that establishes a single state pool of funds to coordinate and purchase services for eligible youth and their families. Until the 2015 General Assembly renamed the Act, it was titled the "Comprehensive Services for At-Risk Youth and Families." The Office of Children's Services (OCS, Agency 200 - CSA,) is responsible for oversight and support of local governments in the implementation of this innovative, statewide system of care. Through high-quality technical assistance and training, high standards for fiscal accountability, responsible use of taxpayer funds, and use of data for continuous program evaluation and improvement, OCS strives to improve outcomes for youth and families and ensure the effective and efficient use of the Commonwealth's resources. OCS partners with a large and diverse group of state, local, public, and private stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of CSA.
The Office of Children's Services (OCS) established under §2.2-2649 of the Code of Virginia is the administrative body of the State Executive Council for Children's Services (SEC), the supervisory council for the Children's Services Act. The Executive Director of OCS, a classified state employee, is hired by the SEC. OCS, under the leadership of the Executive Director, is responsible for compliance with the Code of Virginia and implementing the decisions and policies of the SEC. Responsibilities include, but are not limited to the following: consistent oversight for program administration and compliance with state policies and procedures; training and technical assistance to localities in the provision of effective and efficient services to youth and families; collection of data regarding CSA-funded services; and development and distribution of management reports.
The Department of Education serves as the fiscal agent for CSA service expenditures and disburses reimbursement to local governments on behalf of OCS. The Department of Social Services provides operational support to OCS in areas of human resources, fiscal, and information technology operations.
OCS will continue or begin the implementation of several major IT initiatives during the upcoming biennium including:
- Using data analytics for purposes of utilization management, program evaluation, and continuous quality and program improvement.
- Completing the conversion and ongoing update and maintenance of existing IT applications to comply with operating and security requirements of the Commonwealth and industry best practices.
- Upgrade/update the agency website to achieve compliance with language and disability access requirements. Currently, a Google translate feature exists but this does not address disability access or language access to numerous pdf documents.
- Redesign and deployment of the CSA Service Fee Directory.
- Implementation of dual-factor authentication for all external (non-COV) users of sensitive OCS data systems.
- Improving the functionality of local government reporting.
- Enhancing management reports available to local governments, policymakers, and the public.
Continued growth, complexity, and security requirements of CSA IT applications have created the need for additional personnel and fiscal resources. The FY2022-2024 biennial budget added funding to implement dual-factor authentication and provided one additional computer programmer (FTE).
The Office of Children's Services (OCS) is a small agency, with a staffing level of sixteen (16) full-time equivalent (FTE) positions. Over the past several years, there has been increased attention to cross-training of expertise, sharing of responsibilities, and succession planning. Recruitment and retention of professional staff is a priority and has not been problematic although there are limited opportunities for professional advancement that exist within an agency of this size.
As possible, OCS provides financial support for professional development activities including participation in conferences, educational opportunities, and membership in professional organizations.
| Authorized Maximum Employment Level (MEL) | | 16 | | Salaried Employees | | 16 | | Wage Employees | | 1 | | Contracted Employees | | 3 |
The Office of Children's Services is physically located in leased office space located in Henrico County. Lease negotiations are coordinated by the Virginia Department of Social Services (DSS) pursuant to an agency memorandum of understanding. DSS coordinates the Capital Lease with the Department of General Services. All available office space is currently occupied and alternative arrangements may be necessary to house the newly established FTE and additional staff now needing office space due to a reduction in telework arrangements.
Risk factors for the Office of Children's Services (OCS) for the FY2022-2024 biennium include the following:
- It is inherently difficult to precisely forecast Children Services Act (CSA) costs at the state and local levels due to the nature of the program. Costs are driven by multiple factors, many beyond state and local control, including the number of eligible youth requiring services; severity of presenting needs; availability, type, and duration of services; service rates; client eligibility for and general availability of alternative funding sources; and local practice and policy changes. Over the past three years, CSA expenditures have been level after several years of steady growth. It is believed that the COVD-19 pandemic had much to do with this trend.
- Increases tied to statutory and policy changes at other state agencies (i.e., service rate increases at VDSS and DMAS) and inflationary pressures in the cost of private day special educational services are expected to drive increased costs in the FY2022-2024 biennium. Costs related to these services are linked to federal (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, IDEA) or state law (i.e., increased foster care maintenance rates triggered by state employee salary increases); and policy and practice tieing CSA service rates to Medicaid provider reimbursement rates.
- The implementation of standardized rates for private day special education effective July 1, 2023, as directed by the General Assembly has been a source of contention with the providers of these programs. This is despite diligent efforts by OCS to include providers in the process of developing the rate-setting model. It is unclear what complications may arise as this process is implemented.
For Fiscal Years (FY) 2023 and 2024, the agency budget is funded with $388.3 million ($330.7 million (85%) in general funds and $57.6 million in non-general funds (15%)). The primary activities funded through this appropriation ($385.1 million or 99.2%) provide reimbursements to local governments for the state share of the costs of services provided under the CSA program and local administrative support ($2.5 million).
Chapter 1 of the Appropriation Act allows for carry forward and reappropriation of unexpended funds in Program 453 from FY2022 into FY2023. OCS will work with DPB to determine the final unexpended amount and the need for funds to be reappropriated to cover expenditures in FY2023.
Out of the FY2023-2024 appropriations (Item 284, Program 4530) of Chapter 2, $31.2 million of the general fund and $48.2 million of non-general funds are transferred to the Department of Medical Assistance Services to support the state's share of Medicaid funding of residential treatment and treatment foster care management. Out of the overall general fund appropriation, $2.7 million is reserved to provide local government administrative funding ($2.6 million) and to support the uniform assessment of youth, a uniform web-based reporting system for local data, comprehensive data analytics, and training activities. The Virginia Department of Education serves as the fiscal administrative entity for these funds found in Item 284 of the Appropriation Act.
The remaining funds ($3.2 million) represent the administrative budget of the Office of Children's Services (Program 49900) and funds specifically allocated in Program 453 to support targeted functions (e.g., training and support for IT systems). OCS maintains a Memorandum of Understanding with the Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) to provide continued support for human resources and certain information technology and fiscal functions.
| ??? | ??? | ??? | ??? | | Initial Appropriation for the Biennium | 330,699,433 | 57,632,329 | 330,659,768 | 57,632,329 | | Changes to Initial Appropriation | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The Office of Children's Services does not collect revenues.
The following statistics provide a snapshot of key CSA program outputs during the FY 2021 and 2022 program years.
| Description | Value |
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| Total number of youth served in FY 2022 (reported as of 8/10/2022) | 13,720 |
| Program year 2022 non-administrative expenditures (reported as of 8/10/2022) | 332,554,972 |
| Percentage of youth served in community setting (FY 2021) | 86 |
| Number of training participants (non-unique) (FY 2022) | 10,559 |
| Number of youth served in residential care (FY 2021) | 2,103 |
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Customers and Partners The Office of Children's Services anticipates the customer base to increase slightly to return to pre-COVID- 19 levels.
| Predefined Group | User Defined Group | Number Served Annually | Potential Number of Annual Customers | Projected Customer Trend |
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| Child | Youth and families receiving services | 13,720 | 16,000 | Increase |
| Local or Regional Government Authorities | Local governments | 130 | 130 | Stable |
| Health Care | Private service providers | 1,345 | 1,400 | Stable |
| State Agency(s), | Partner State Agencies | 7 | 7 | Stable |
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| Name | Description |
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| Community Policy and Management Teams (CPMT) | Manager of local CSA administration pursuant to COV 2.2-5206 |
| Local elected and appointed government officials | Fiscally responsible stakeholder and member of local CPMT (COV 2.2-5206) |
| CSA Coordinators | Local employees who coordinate local CSA activities |
| Family Assessment and Planning Teams (FAPT) | Local team that coordinates child and family service needs pursuant to COV 2.2-5207 |
| Children and families | Partners in service planning |
| Parents | Partner in state and local implementation of CSA (COV 2.2-2648; COV 2.2-5206) |
| Virginia Department of Social Services | Partner in state implementation of CSA (COV 2.2-2648; COV 2.2-5201) |
| Virginia Department of Education | Partner in state implementation of CSA (COV 2.2-2648; COV 2.2-5201) |
| Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice | Partner in state implementation of CSA (COV 2.2-2648; COV 2.2-5201) |
| Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services | Partner in state implementation of CSA (COV 2.2-2648; COV 2.2-5201) |
| Virginia Department of Health | Partner in state implementation of CSA (COV 2.2-2648; COV 2.2-5201) |
| Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services | Partner in state implementation of CSA (COV 2.2-2648; COV 2.2-5201) |
| The Office of the Executive Secretary of the Supreme Court | Partner in state implementation of CSA (COV 2.2-2648; COV 2.2-5201) |
| Private providers of children's services | Partner in state and local implementation of CSA (COV 2.2-2648 and COV 2.2-5206); Organizations that provide services to children |
| Local health districts | Partner in local implementation of CSA (COV 2.2-5206 and 2.2-5207); providers of certain children's services |
| Community Services Boards (CSB) | Partner in local implementation of CSA (COV 2.2-5206 and 2.2-5207); providers of certain children's services |
| Local Departments of Social Services (LDSS) | Partner in local implementation of CSA (COV 2.2-5206 and 2.2-5207); providers of certain children's services |
| Court Service Units (CSU) | Partner in local implementation of CSA (COV 2.2-5206 and 2.2-5207); providers of certain children's services |
| Local School Divisions | Partner in local implementation of CSA (COV 2.2-5206 and 2.2-5207); providers of certain children's services |
| Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Courts | Key stakeholder for many youth served under the CSA; Ex-officio partner in state implementation of CSA (COV 2.2-2648) |
| Virginia Association of Counties | Stakeholder |
| Virginia Municipal League | Stakeholder |
| Virginia Association of Community Services Boards | Stakeholder |
| Virginia Coalition of Private Provider Associations | Stakeholder |
| Virginia Association of Specialized Education Facilities | Stakeholder |
| Virginia League of Social Service Executives | Stakeholder |
| Virginia Court Service Unit Directors Association | Stakeholder |
| Council of Administrators of Special Education | Stakeholder |
| Virginia Association of Local Human Services Officials | Stakeholder |
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Major Products and Services The primary products/outputs of the Children's Services Act/Office of Children's Services (OCS) include:
1. State share reimbursement. Local governments receive state general fund reimbursements for eligible services purchased (and paid) for youth and families with local funds. All CSA-funded services carry a local matching requirement, averaging 33.7% of the overall expenditures reimbursed. Local governments coordinate a wide array of services for eligible youth and families including, but not limited to, foster care and related services, private day and residential special education services, and behavioral health services. In the 2022 program year (reported as of 8/10/2022), CSA supported services to 13,720 youth.
2. Training and technical assistance. A comprehensive array of technical assistance activities and robust training opportunities are provided to maximize the capacity of local governments and other stakeholders to implement best practices and maintain compliance with federal and state laws, regulations, and policies, as they apply to effective services and appropriate use of funds.
3. Program audit, evaluation, and utilization management. OCS implements a comprehensive audit program; collects, integrates, analyzes, and reports data regarding local program demographics, utilization, finances, and performance; and provides oversight to ensure appropriate review of purchased services.
4. Information technology. OCS provides web-based information technology to support uniform assessment of youth, collect client-based demographic and service information, and support the financial reporting and reimbursement processes.
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| • | Support implementation of a unified system of care that ensures equal access to quality services for eligible youth and families across the Commonwealth. Sections 2.2-2648, 2.2-2649 and Chapter 52 of Title 2.2 (§ 2.2-5200 et seq) of the Code of Virginia.Summary and Alignment A comprehensive system of care ensures that eligible youth and families have access to high-quality services; youth are served in the least restrictive environments possible; funds and resources are effectively used in a flexible, coordinated, and sustainable way that is critical to the success of efforts to improve the coordination and impact of interventions; and services are evidence-based, culturally competent, trauma-informed, and client driven. | |
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Objectives |
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| » | To provide timely and meaningful utilization review of residential placements per Memoranda of Agreement with local CSA programs. The Office of Children's Services is committed to providing high quality customer service to support local governments in their provision of effective services to youth and families. • Provide timely clinical review and recommendations to local CPMTs regarding residential services. |
| » | To maximize the number of youth served in community and family-based settings. This objective supports the stated mission of the CSA to provide services that are community-based, recognizing the importance of serving youth within families and within their home community to the greatest extent possible. • Provide training and resources on best practices related to community-based services.
• Identify localities with lower than average annual metrics on community-based services and offer tailored technical assistance.
• Continue fiscal incentives for the use of community-based services (differential local CSA match rates)..
• Actively contribute to cross-system efforts to increase the use of evidence-based and trauma-informed practices across service populations. |
| » | To promote the engagement of families in service planning and support of the family perspective in CSA processes. This objective supports the mission of CSA and is a hallmark principle of systems of care, i.e., that services must be family-focused. Families must be highly involved in all aspects of service planning including the identification of appropriate goals and strategies to achieve those goals.Family representation on local CSA FAPT and CPMTs is also supported. • Provide training and technical support in topics including High Fidelity Wraparound and family engagement.
• Maximize family member participation on local FAPT/CPMT committees through collaboration with local CSA programs, the State and Local Advisory Team (SLAT) and family support organizations (e.g, NAMI of Virginia). |
| » | To maximize the use of Intensive Care Coordination (ICC)/High Fidelity Wraparound (HFW) for children and youth who are in, or are at risk of placement in, residential settings to prevent unnecessary residential placements and to ensure that residential placements are of the shortest duration necessary to deliver effective treatment. The use of intensive care coordination is recognized as a key component of an effective system of care and, as an evidenced-informed practice, produces positive impact on youth outcomes while reducing the cost of services. • Provide training for CSA Coordinators, FAPTS, CPMTs, ICC/HFW coordinators, family support partners, and supervisors on ICC/HFW. |
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| • | Improve the operational effectiveness of CSA administration. Sections 2.2-2648, 2.2-2649 and Chapter 52 of Title 2.2 (§ 2.2-5200 et seq) of the Code of Virginia.Summary and Alignment The Office of Children's Services (OCS) is established by § 2.2-2649 of the Code of Virginia to serve as the administrative entity of the State Executive Council for Children's Services (SEC) to ensure that its policies and decisions are implemented. OCS holds responsibility for oversight of program administration and compliance with state policies and procedures. | |
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Objectives |
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| » | To enhance knowledge, skills, and abilities of partners responsible for implementation of CSA at the local level. This objective supports OCS in its statutory responsibilities to enable local CSA programs to deliver efficient and effective services that are responsive to the strengths and needs of youth and families and which assist localities in effective operation of their CSA programs. • Conduct annual statewide conference at which a majority of localities are represented.
• Conduct an annual new CSA Coordinator Academy, inviting all local CSA Coordinators hired in the previous year.
• Provide technical assistance to address locality needs as identified by localities, through local audits and/or through data analysis
• Implement a strong audit program to assist localities in identifying areas for improvement. |
| » | To maximize efficient and effective use of federal and state fiscal resources. The Office of Children's Services is responsible for oversight of fiscal and program operations and the assurance of fiscal accountability. The appropriate use of resources ensures that funds are available to provide necessary services to youth and families. This objective supports oversight for program administration and compliance with state policies and procedures. • Provide an array of public facing reports so that local CSA programs, local governments, and the public can monitor the use of CSA resources and relevant outcome metrics.
• Monitor local program use of fiscal resources through periodic reviews by the OCS Business Office and through regular and ad hoc program audits.
• Monitor and report trends in fund usage and service patterns via data integration and analytics applications. |
| » | To provide timely and accurate reimbursement of the state's share of cost for CSA funded services to local governments. The Office of Children's Services strives to provide effective customer service and to ensure that local governments receive the fiscal support necessary to operate local CSA programs effectively and efficiently. • Maintain effective information technology applications for tracking fiscal operations.
• Continually monitor performance of OCS fiscal operations. |
| » | To utilize data and data analytics to improve outcomes and inform state and local decision makers regarding the use of funds and the delivery of effective services. This objective supports accountability for use of funds and continuous quality improvement in CSA programs. • Collect, integrate, analyze, and report client-specific expenditure, assessment, and demographic data related to the CSA population of youth and families. |
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| • | Manage a strong financial infrastructure and continue to maximize all available resources. Sections 2.2-2648, 2.2-2649 and Chapter 52 of Title 2.2 (§ 2.2-5200 et seq) of the Code of Virginia.Summary and Alignment Virginia’s taxpayers, who provide the funding for the delivery for services to youth and families, expect the state to professionally monitor service expenditures, appropriately budget for state supported programs, and reimburse local governments the appropriate state contribution of expenditures in a timely and efficient manner. | |
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Objectives |
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| » | To provide timely and accurate reimbursement of the state's share of cost for CSA funded services to local governments. The Office of Children's Services strives to provide effective customer service and to ensure that local governments receive the fiscal support necessary to operate local CSA programs effectively and efficiently. • Maintain effective information technology applications for tracking fiscal operations.
• Continually monitor performance of OCS fiscal operations. |
| » | To maximize efficient and effective use of federal and state fiscal resources. The Office of Children's Services is responsible for oversight of fiscal and program operations and the assurance of fiscal accountability. The appropriate use of resources ensures that funds are available to provide necessary services to youth and families. This objective supports oversight for program administration and compliance with state policies and procedures. • Provide an array of public facing reports so that local CSA programs, local governments, and the public can monitor the use of CSA resources and relevant outcome metrics.
• Monitor local program use of fiscal resources through periodic reviews by the OCS Business Office and through regular and ad hoc program audits.
• Monitor and report trends in fund usage and service patterns via data integration and analytics applications. |
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| • | Support informed decision-making through utilization of data to improve child and family outcomes and public and private performance in the provision of services to at-risk youth and families. Sections 2.2-2648, 2.2-2649 and Chapter 52 of Title 2.2 (§ 2.2-5200 et seq) of the Code of Virginia.Summary and Alignment OCS is responsible for the development and implementation of uniform data collection standards and uniform performance measures; distribution of management reports; and reporting on the nature and cost of all services provided to the population of at-risk children within the scope of responsibility of the State Executive Council (§ 2.2-2648 of the Code of Virginia). | |
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Objectives |
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| » | To inform state and local decision-making regarding use of funds and delivery of effective services. This objective supports the Office of Children's Services in executing its responsibilities for ensuring the provision of efficient and effective services. • Collect, integrate, analyze, and report client-specific expenditure, assessment, and demographic data related to the CSA population of youth and families. |
| » | To utilize data and data analytics to improve outcomes and inform state and local decision makers regarding the use of funds and the delivery of effective services. This objective supports accountability for use of funds and continuous quality improvement in CSA programs. • Collect, integrate, analyze, and report client-specific expenditure, assessment, and demographic data related to the CSA population of youth and families. |
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