Health & Saf. Code, § 1562.02

(a) The department may license a short-term residential therapeutic program operating as a children’s crisis residential program pursuant to this chapter. A children’s crisis residential program shall meet all of the following requirements:

(1) If the program serves both children who are not experiencing mental health crises and children who are experiencing mental health crises, the program shall have an identifiable and physically separate unit for those children who are experiencing mental health crises. The separate unit shall be indicated on the short-term residential therapeutic program’s license.

(2) If the short-term residential therapeutic program operates on a single site both a program that serves children who are not experiencing mental health crises and a separate program that only serves children experiencing mental health crises, the short-term residential therapeutic program shall obtain, and have in good standing, a mental health program approval, as described in Section 11462.01 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, and a children’s crisis residential mental health program approval, as described in Section 11462.011 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, both of which are issued by the State Department of Health Care Services, or by a county mental health plan to which the department has delegated approval authority. The short-term residential therapeutic program shall obtain a mental health program approval before operating as a children’s crisis residential program. The department may revoke a program’s license pursuant to Section 1550 for a program’s failure to maintain the mental health program approval.

(3) If the short-term residential therapeutic program serves only children experiencing a mental health crisis, the short-term residential therapeutic program shall obtain, and have in good standing, a children’s crisis residential mental health program approval, as described in Section 11462.011 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, which is issued by the State Department of Health Care Services or by a county mental health plan to which the department has delegated approval authority. The short-term residential therapeutic program shall obtain a mental health program approval before operating as a children’s crisis residential program. The department may revoke a program’s license pursuant to Section 1550 for a program’s failure to maintain the mental health program approval.

(4) Comply with all applicable licensing standards for a short-term residential therapeutic program, unless the department specifies otherwise in regulations that comply with applicable statutory requirements related to licensure.

(b) Contingent upon an appropriation in the annual Budget Act for these purposes, the department shall begin implementation of this section no later than July 1, 2018, and shall commence the licensing process for children’s crisis residential programs no later than January 1, 2019.