(a)    On or before December 1, 2000, the Secretary of Human Services and the Secretary of Health shall, after consultation with a broad range of child welfare professionals, substance abuse experts, judges, attorneys, managed care organizations, health care providers, local departments, local health departments, and child advocates, develop a statewide protocol for integrating child welfare and substance abuse treatment services that includes at a minimum the following:

(1)    requiring cross–training for all child welfare and substance abuse treatment personnel;

(2)    developing an approved curriculum for the cross–training and criteria for qualified trainers using best practices from other states;

(3)    a plan for providing financial incentives for both child welfare personnel and addictions personnel who achieve specified levels of expertise;

(4)    placing qualified addictions specialists, including an addiction specialist under § 5–314 of the Human Services Article, in all child welfare offices, based on a caseload formula developed by the Department;

(5)    in all cases accepted for child abuse and neglect investigation or out–of–home placement, assuring that parents are screened for substance abuse and, where there is any reasonable suspicion of substance abuse, assuring that qualified addiction specialists have the:

(i)    information needed regarding the circumstances of the family and any evidence that substance abuse exists; and

(ii)    opportunity to consult with the parents and children;

(6)    specifying the circumstances under which a local department shall include in its petition for a child in need of assistance a request that a juvenile court order comprehensive drug and alcohol assessment and testing;

(7)    establishing a procedure for notifying the local department of the results of substance abuse assessment and testing;

(8)    establishing a procedure for notifying an at–risk parent of the availability of substance abuse treatment; and

(9)    developing procedures for routine consultation and reevaluation of progress in substance abuse treatment at every step as a child welfare case proceeds.

(b)    No later than December 1, 2000, the Secretary of Human Services and the Secretary of Health shall submit a report to the Governor and, subject to § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, the Senate Budget and Taxation Committee, the Senate Economic and Environmental Affairs Committee, the House Appropriations Committee, and the House Environmental Matters Committee that:

(1)    sets forth the statewide protocol developed under this section; and

(2)    identifies the amount and sources of funds that are being used to implement the statewide protocol developed under this section and the other requirements of this subtitle.

(c)    The statewide protocol developed under this section shall be implemented in each county of the State.