Welfare and Institutions Code section 4341

(a)

To ensure the availability of an adequate number of persons from all disciplines necessary to implement appropriate and effective services to a person with a serious mental health condition, of any age and from any ethnic group, the department shall, to the extent resources are available, implement a Human Resources Development Program.

(b)

Implementation of the program shall include negotiation with any or all of the following: the University of California, state colleges, community colleges, private universities and colleges, public and private hospitals, and public and private rehabilitation, community care, treatment providers, and professional associations, to arrange affiliations and contracts for educational and training programs to ensure appropriate numbers of graduates with experience in serving persons with a serious mental health condition in the most cost-effective programs.

(c)

The human resources development effort shall be undertaken with active participation of the California Conference of Local Mental Health Directors, client and family representatives, and professional and academic institutions.

(d)

The program shall give particular attention to areas of specific expertise where local programs and state hospitals have difficulty recruiting qualified staff, including programs for children and youth with forensic persistent and severe mental health conditions and elderly persons with serious mental health conditions. Specific attention shall be given to ensuring the development of a mental health work force with the necessary bilingual and bicultural skills to deliver effective service to the diverse population of the state.