Children and Youth Planning Boards (CYPBs) were established by Louisiana State Law to provide comprehensive development, delinquency prevention and intervention services for children and their families in order to reduce the state's historically high juvenile prison population. Under the authorizing state legislation (RS 46:1941.5) communities in Louisiana were tasked with establishing a local board to "provide for the preparation of a comprehensive plan for the development, implementation and operation of services for children and youth."

In 2004, the City Council passed an ordinance defining the purpose and membership of the New Orleans CYPB (see New Orleans CYPB Statute, below) "to encourage collaborative efforts among local stakeholders."  In this ordinance, the City Council tasked the newly created CYPB with preparing a comprehensive plan for services and programs for the children and youth of New Orleans.