Bill > S1969

Introduced Session

This bill establishes the Office of the Child Advocate in, but notof, the Department of Children and Families (DCF). The bill provides that the child advocate would seek to ensure the provision of effective, appropriate, and timely services for children at risk of abuse and neglect in the State, and that children under State supervision due to abuse or neglect are served adequately and appropriately by the State. The Office of the Child Advocate would be deemed a child protective agency for the purposes of N.J.S.A.9:6-8.10a. The bill allows the Child Advocate to: investigate, review, monitor, or evaluate any State agency response on, or disposition of, an allegation of child abuse or neglect in this State; inspect and review the operations, policies, and procedures of juvenile detention centers, resource family homes, group homes, residential treatment facilities, shelters for the care of abused or neglected children, shelters for the care of juveniles considered as juvenile-family crisis cases, shelters for the care of homeless youth, or independent living arrangements; and any other public or private residential setting in which a child has been placed by a State or county agency or department; review, evaluate, report on, and make recommendations concerning the procedures established by any State agency providing services to children who are at risk of abuse or neglect, children in State or institutional custody, or children who receive child protective or permanency services; review, monitor, and report on the performance of State-funded private entities charged with the care and supervision of children at risk of abuse or neglect by conducting research audits or other studies of case records, policies, procedures, and protocols, as deemed necessary by the child advocate to assess the performance of the entities; receive, investigate, and make referrals to other agencies or take other appropriate actions with respect to a complaint received by the office regarding the actions of a State, county or municipal agency, or a State-funded private entity providing services to children who are at risk of abuse or neglect; hold a public hearing on the subject of an investigation or study underway by the office, and receive testimony from agency and program representatives, the public, and other interested parties, as the child advocate deems appropriate; establish and maintain a 24 hour toll-free telephone hotline to receive and respond to calls from members of the public referring problems to the child advocate, both individual and systemic, in how the State, through its agencies and contract services, protect children; and intervene in or institute litigation, or intervene in or institute administrative proceedings before any department, commission, agency, or State board, to assert the broad public interest of the State in the welfare of children and to protect and promote the rights of children. The bill provides that the Child Advocate would seek to ensure the protection of children who are in an institution or resource family home by reviewing, evaluating, and monitoring the operation and activities of the Institutional Abuse Investigation Unit in DCF. The bill also provides that the Child Advocate would report annually to the Governor, Commissioner of Children and Families, and Legislature on: the activities of the office; priorities for children's services that have been identified by the child advocate; and recommendations for improvement or needed changes concerning the provision of services to children who are at risk of abuse or neglect, and are in State or institutional custody, or receive child protective or permanency services by State agencies and State-funded private entities, and make the annual report available to the public and post the report on DCF's website.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Tony Bucco (R)*,  Joe Vitale (D)*,  John McKeon (D),  Troy Singleton (D),  Parker Space (R), 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee (on 01/09/2024)

Official Document