* Child Protective Services, a part of the Department of Health and Human Services, will have the first contact with families.

* A CPS worker will do a safety assessment and decide if there is a need for legal or state involvement. If the answer is yes, the family will be referred to one of the private agencies. The child can still become a state ward.

* In the Southeast service area, each of the three agencies will get every third referral. Each agency will be responsible for achieving agreed upon results in regard to children's safety, either with their own families or a new permanent family. But the idea is to minimize out-of-home care.

* Most agencies will make the shift to the new world of services gradually, taking in 37 percent of families in November, 37 percent in December and the remainder in January.

* Agencies will employ service coordinators, somewhat like quarterbacks, who will help develop the game plan for families.

* Aftercare for 12 months, in which the agency is still available to families, after the case is closed.