Massachusetts Statutes

Section 3. (a) The department shall provide comprehensive, area-based child welfare services. These services shall be organized by regions and areas consistent with those established by the secretary of health and human services under section 16 of chapter 6A. (b) In order that t…

Section 4. Subject to appropriation, services of the department shall not be denied to any person because of such person's financial assets or income; provided, however, that the department shall establish a schedule of fees for services which may vary with the ability of the rec…

Section 5. The department shall make provision for such social services as are required under Title XX and Title IV B of the Social Security Act and the regulations established thereunder and shall provide such additional services as the general court may determine. In order to a…

Section 6. The department shall be under the direction, supervision and control of the commissioner of children and families, in this chapter called the commissioner, who shall be appointed by the secretary of health and human services, with the approval of the governor, and who …

Section 6A. The commissioner shall appoint a foster care review director who shall establish an independent foster care review unit within the department. The director shall appoint, subject to the approval of the commissioner, the members of the unit who shall be employees of th…

Section 7. (a) The commissioner shall establish reasonable caseload rates and shall report these caseload rates to the general court in the budget estimates of the department. (b) The commissioner shall develop and implement a management information system that shall contain fisc…

Section 8. The commissioner shall appoint and may remove a deputy commissioner. The position of deputy commissioner shall be classified under section 45 of chapter 30 and the salary shall be determined under section 46C of said chapter 30. The deputy commissioner shall have the s…

Section 9. The commissioner may appoint and remove such assistant commissioners as the commissioner shall from time to time determine, not to exceed four in number, who shall be assigned to areas of responsibility to be specified by the commissioner. Each assistant commissioner s…

Section 1. As used in this chapter, the following words shall have the following meanings unless the context clearly requires otherwise: ''Advisory council'', the child advocate advisory council established in section 4. ''Child advocate'', the child advocate appointed under sect…

Section 10. The child advocate shall report annually to the governor, the president of the senate, the speaker of the house, the senate and the house committees on ways and means, and the chairs of the joint committee on children, families and persons with disabilities on the act…

Section 10A. Annually, not later than April 1, the child advocate shall file a report making recommendations for decreasing and eliminating the number of children and adolescents awaiting clinically-appropriate behavioral health services. The report shall include a review of the …

Section 11. The child advocate, in consultation with the advisory council, may from time to time, examine systemwide responses to child abuse and neglect, including related mental health, substance use and domestic violence issues, and shall file a report on any such examination …

Section 12. The following provisions apply to information and records obtained, reviewed or maintained by the child advocate: (a) Notwithstanding chapter 66A, section 70 of chapter 111, section 11 of chapter 111B, section 18 of chapter 111E, sections 51E and 51F of chapter 119, c…

Section 13. No person employed by or contracted by or volunteering for the office shall be subject to suit directly, derivatively or by way of contribution or indemnification for any civil damages under the laws of the commonwealth resulting from any act or omission performed dur…

Section 14. The office shall convene a childhood trauma task force made up of members of the juvenile justice policy and data board established pursuant to section 89 of chapter 119 to study, report and make recommendations on gender responsive and trauma-informed approaches to t…

Section 2. There shall be an office of the child advocate which shall be independent of any supervision or control by any executive agency. The office shall: (a) ensure that children involved with an executive agency, in particular, children served by the child welfare or juvenil…

Section 3. The office of the child advocate shall be under the direction of the child advocate. The child advocate shall be the administrative head of the office and shall devote full-time to the duties of the office. The child advocate shall be appointed by a majority vote of th…

Section 4. There shall be a 25–member child advocate advisory council. The advisory council shall consist of the child advocate, who shall serve as chair, the secretary of health and human services, the secretary of public safety and security, the secretary of education, the comm…

Section 5. (a) An executive agency shall inform the child advocate as soon as practicable when a critical incident has occurred. The child advocate may conduct an investigation of the critical incident or may review an executive agency's investigation of a critical incident. When…

Section 6. The child advocate or his designee shall have access at any and all reasonable times to any facility, residence, program, or portion thereof, that is operated, licensed or funded by an executive agency, and shall have unrestricted access to all electronic information s…

Section 7. The child advocate may request the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of documents, papers, books, records, reports, reviews, recommendations, correspondence, data and other evidence that the child advocate reasonably believes is relevant. If a re…

Section 8. No discriminatory or retaliatory action shall be taken against any person who communicates with or provides information to the office. Any person who knowingly or willfully discriminates or retaliates against such a person shall be liable to such person for treble dama…

Section 9. The child advocate shall develop internal procedures appropriate for the effective performance of his duties. The child advocate may, subject to chapter 30A, adopt, amend or repeal such rules and regulations as are deemed necessary to carry out the functions of the off…

Section 1. There shall be a department of mental health, in this chapter called the department, and a commissioner of mental health who shall have and shall exercise supervision and control of the department. All action of the department shall be taken by the commissioner, or und…

Section 10. The superintendent of any state hospital or the director of any mental health facility of the department, who has reason to believe that a crime which is punishable by imprisonment in the state prison has been committed by or upon any person on the premises of the par…

Section 11. There shall be a mental health advisory council consisting of fifteen persons to be appointed by the secretary of health and human services, with the approval of the governor, eight of whom shall be members of community mental health area boards, and of the remaining …

Section 11A. Nothing in section 7 of chapter 268A shall prevent a person who has a financial interest, directly or indirectly, in a contract made by the department of mental health from serving as a member of the department's human rights advisory committee. Members of such commi…

Section 12. The department shall establish a comprehensive program of community mental health services which shall include state hospitals, clinics, comprehensive centers and other facilities of the department, and to promote such programs the department shall divide the commonwe…

Section 13. The commissioner shall, after consultation with the area board, appoint in each community mental health area an area director. Such area director shall have such educational qualifications and such administrative and other experience, including education or experience…

Section 14. In each area established under section twelve there shall be a community mental health area board, hereinafter called the area board, which shall be an agency of the commonwealth, and shall serve in the department. The area board shall consist of not fewer than 15 mem…

Section 15. The area board shall have the following duties and powers: (a) to act as the representative of the citizens of the area; (b) to advise regarding local needs and resources in the development of comprehensive mental health services; (c) to advise in the recruitment and …

Section 16. The department shall develop and maintain, subject to appropriation, and in accordance with its standards, a comprehensive, area-based system to provide community mental health services, including specialized services for both children and adults. Major consideration …

Section 16A. (a) Subject to appropriation, the department shall operate a statewide program to provide remote mental health consultations available for a at least 5 days a week to pediatricians, family physicians, nurse practitioners and primary care practices for persons under t…

Section 17. The area board may appoint such advisory committees as it may from time to time deem necessary. The members of such committees shall serve for such terms as the area board may determine.

Section 18. The department may from time to time adopt such rules and regulations as it deems necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter, and may amend or repeal the same.

Section 19. (a) The department shall issue for a term of 2 years, and may renew for like terms, a license, subject to revocation by the department for cause, to any private, county or municipal facility or department or unit of any such facility that: (i) offers to the public inp…

Section 2. The secretary of health and human services shall appoint, with the approval of the governor, a commissioner of mental health who shall serve at the pleasure of the secretary and may be removed by the secretary at any time, subject to the approval of the governor. Such …

Section 20. Stationary engineers, steam firemen, school teachers and head farmers employed in mental health facilities of the department and, except as otherwise provided by the civil service law and rules, the classified labor service of the department, shall be exempt from chap…

Section 21. Subject to approval by the secretary of health and human services, the commissioner may enter into interagency agreements with the commissioner of developmental services for the coordinated regulation of or for the coordinated or joint management of certain services t…

Section 22. The commissioner of mental health shall be consulted on the design and implementation of the commonwealth's behavioral health services for children, under guidelines established by the secretary of health and human services under section 16S of chapter 6A.

Section 23. There shall be, within the department of mental health, a children's behavioral health research center, the primary mission of which shall be to ensure that the workforce of clinicians and direct care staff providing children's behavioral health services are highly sk…

Section 24. If the department is notified that a child who is eligible for department services is receiving inpatient psychiatric services, the department shall contact the child's parents or guardians and a member of the child's treatment team within 3 business days of being so …

Section 25. (a) Subject to appropriation, within the department of mental health, there shall be a center for responsive training in crisis intervention, in this section hereinafter referred to as the center. The center shall serve as a source for cost-effective, evidence-based m…

Section 26. (a) There shall be an expedited psychiatric inpatient admission advisory council within the department which shall investigate and recommend policies and solutions regarding the emergency department boarding of patients seeking mental health and substance use disorder…

Section 3. The commissioner shall appoint, with the approval of the secretary of health and human services, a person qualified to serve as deputy commissioner of mental health. Said deputy commissioner shall perform such duties as the commissioner may determine and shall, in the …

Section 4. The commissioner shall appoint, subject to appropriation, such other assistant, deputy or associate commissioners as the commissioner may determine to be necessary or desirable to carry out the work of the department. Assistant, deputy and associate commissioners shall…