CHILD PROTECTION ACCOUNTABILITY COMMISSION (CPAC)

CPAC STATUTE

TITLE 16 Health and Safety
PART II Regulatory Provisions Concerning Public Health
CHAPTER 9. ABUSE OF CHILDREN

Subchapter I. Reports and Investigations of Abuse and Neglect; Child Protection Accountability Commission

§ 912. The Child Protection Accountability Commission.

(a) The Delaware Child Protection Accountability Commission is hereby established. The Commission shall consist of 20 members with the at-large members and the Chair appointed by the Governor, shall be staffed by the Office of the Child Advocate and shall be comprised of the following:

(1) The Secretary of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families, or the Secretary's designee;

(2) The Director of the Division of Family Services, or the Director's designee;

(3) Two representatives from the Attorney's General Office, designated by the Attorney General;

(4) Two members of the Family Court, designated by the Chief Judge;

(5) One member of the House of Representatives, designated by the Speaker of the House;

(6) One member of the Senate, designated by the President Pro Tempore of the Senate;

(7) The Chair of the Child Placement Review Board, or the Chair's designee;

(8) The Secretary of the Department of Education, or the Secretary's designee;

(9) The Director of Child Mental Health Services, or the Director's designee;

(10) The Chair of the Domestic Violence Coordinating Council, or the Chair's designee;

(11) Eight at-large members with 1 person from the medical community, 1 person from the Interagency Committee on Adoption who works with youth engaged in the foster care system, 2 persons from law enforcement agencies and 4 persons from the child protection community.

(b) The Child Advocate shall serve as the Executive Director of the Commission to effectuate its purposes pursuant to Chapter 90A of Title 29. It shall be the purpose of the Commission to monitor Delaware's child protection system to best ensure the health, safety and well-being of Delaware's abused, neglected and dependent children. To that end, the Commission shall meet on a quarterly basis and shall:

(1) Examine and evaluate the policies, procedures and effectiveness of the child protection system and make recommendations for changes therein, focusing specifically on the respective roles in the child protection system of the Division of Family Services, the Division of Child Mental Health Services, the Office of the Attorney General, the Family Court, the medical community, and law enforcement agencies;

(2) Recommend changes in the policies and procedures for investigating and overseeing the welfare of abused, neglected and dependent children;

(3) Advocate for legislation and make legislative recommendations to the Governor and General Assembly;

(4) Access, develop and provide quality training to staff of the Division of Family Services, Deputy Attorneys General, Family Court, law enforcement officers, the medical community, educators, day-care providers, and others on child protection issues;

(5) Review and make recommendations concerning the well-being of Delaware's abused, neglected and dependent children including, but not limited to, issues relating to foster care, adoption, mental health services, victim services, education, rehabilitation, substance abuse and independent living; and

(6) Provide the following reports to the Governor:

a. An annual summary of the Commission's work and recommendations, including work of the Office of the Child Advocate, with copies thereof sent to the Governor's Advisory Council for Children, Youth and Their Families for their consideration and comment; and

b. A quarterly written report of the Commission's activities and findings with copies thereof distributed to the Chairpersons of the House of Representatives Committee on Health and Human Development and the Senate Committee on Children, Youth and Their Families. (71 Del. Laws, c. 199, § 6; 70 Del. Laws, c. 186, § 1; 73 Del. Laws, c. 116, §§ 1-3, 5›4|.)