Specifications include, but are not limited to: 2.1.1 The contractor shall provide specialized care management services, individualized for children with severe and complex behavioral health needs and their families that demonstrate an inability to function in less-restrictive settings without individualized services and supports as evidenced by multiple failed residential placements and/or repeated need for acute psychiatric hospital admissions (hereinafter referred to as specialized care management services). 2.1.2 The contractor shall provide specialized care management services in accordance with the provisions and requirements stated herein, on behalf of and to the sole satisfaction of the Department of Social Services, Children’s Division (hereinafter referred to as the state agency). b. The contractor shall provide specialized care management services to children under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court and the children’s families in a county located outside any of the counties identified above when services have been requested by the state agency and the contractor agrees to provide such services. These children shall be in addition to the maximum number of children to be enrolled as specified elsewhere herein. 2.1.4 The contractor shall provide an organized approach to maximizing family and community strengths to support the children and families at risk before children are inextricably committed to pathways of long term residential care. The contractor’s approach shall be characterized by: a. Maximizing family and community strengths to support children in their transition from restrictive to less restrictive placements; b. Successfully moving children with severe behavioral health needs from highly restrictive, congregate settings to a stable community and family-based alternative; c. Moving children with severe and complex behavioral health needs into stable and ultimately permanent placements with families; and d. Successfully transitioning children to independence with appropriate connections to vocational and/or educational resources, and permanent adult relationships. 2.1.5 The contractor shall provide specialized care management services designed to meet the goals of the child’s treatment plan (refer to Treatment Planning Requirements described elsewhere herein), in Section 4, Chapter 7 of the Child Welfare Manual located on the internet at http://www.dss.mo.gov/cd/info/cwmanual/index.htm), and to ensure: a. A safe environment and the well-being for all children served in the least restrictive setting; b. Stabilization of an enrolled child’s behavior; c. Stability of placement in the least restrictive environment; and d. A permanency plan is pursued while the child is enrolled; 1) Children in out-of-home placements must be reunified with their family when possible. 2) A child’s connection to the family of origin must be preserved when possible. 3) All children have a right to belong to a family, if not that of origin, then a family established through adoption or guardianship. 2.1.6 The contractor must maintain a case record for each enrolled child and family, which is consistent with the standards in the Child Welfare Manual, as well as applicable county or Judicial Circuit specific standards, and contains all information necessary to keep the state agency’s automated system (refer to the Automated Systems requirements elsewhere herein) accurate. a. The contractor shall keep all case records of children enrolled in specialized care management separate from other cases the contractor may be handling. With the exception of appropriate state agency personnel, the case record shall only be accessible to the contractor’s personnel performing tasks related to the contract. The state agency may request access to the case record at any time. 2.1.7 The contractor shall provide specialized care management services that respect the culture, ethnicity, and religious practices of the child and that of the child’s family. The contractor shall also provide specialized care management services that respect and meet the needs of children and family members who have special needs due to physical, cognitive, or mental disabilities and limitations. a. The contractor shall be aware of cultural differences and the differences in norms and values and design service delivery in such a manner in order to be responsive to the needs of the children and families the contractor serves. b. The contractor shall be aware of and design service delivery in such a manner as to be responsive to the needs of children and families with physical, cognitive, or mental disabilities and limitations.