Section 9904 - Executive director; powers and duties(a) The Executive Director shall report to the Council. For matters involving anything that may affect the Criminal Justice Council's budget, the Executive Director shall also report to the Executive Director of the Criminal Justice Council. The Executive Director of the Criminal Justice Council has final approval over matters involving anything that may affect the Criminal Justice Council's budget.(b) In pursuit of the mission of the Family Justice Centers, the Executive Director has the following powers and duties: (1) Identify locations for the establishment of at least one Family Justice Center in each county based on need and access.(2) Work with the Council and Criminal Justice Council to identify and secure funding for the establishment of Family Justice Centers in each county.(3) Name or approve a name recommended by the Council for each Family Justice Center that is established.(4) Develop policies and procedures, in collaboration with state, local, and community-based crime victim service providers and local survivors of violence and abuse, to ensure coordinated services are provided to victims and survivors of crime and to enhance the safety of victims, survivors, and professionals at the Family Justice Centers.(5) Maintain a formal victim and survivor feedback, complaint, evaluation, and input process to address victim and survivor concerns about services provided or the conduct of any Family Justice Center professionals, agency partners, or volunteers providing services in the Family Justice Center.(6) Employ, contract, or otherwise secure the assistance of such personnel and other service providers as are necessary to carry out the functions of this chapter, subject to the approval of the Council and within the limits of any funds secured by the Executive Director and any appropriation made by the General Assembly, including the following: a. Law enforcement personnel.d. Systems-based victim services personnel.e. Domestic violence program advocates.f. Community-based rape crisis, domestic violence, and human trafficking advocates.g. Social service agency staff members.i. Division of Family Services staff.j. Division of Public Health staff.k. Division of Social Services staff. l. Nonprofit agency counseling professionals. m. Civil legal service providers.n. Supervised volunteers from partner agencies.o. Other professionals providing services to victims and survivors.(7) Create, maintain, and ensure compliance with the following:a. Policies and procedures pertaining to record confidentiality that incorporate all federal and state privacy laws.b. Policies and procedures pertaining to securing written consent from a victim or survivor for the collection and sharing of confidential records under § 9805 of this chapter.(8) Develop, approve, and provide for an annual training program for service providers consisting of not less than 8 hours per year on subjects including, but not limited to, privileges and confidentiality, information sharing, risk assessment, safety planning, victim advocacy, and high-risk case response.(9) Publish an annual report on the Family Justice Center website recapping the development of the Family Justice Centers as well as de-identified statistics and recommendations that include the following: a. The number of victims and survivors who received assistance, the number of children and other family members of victims and survivors who received assistance, and the number of victims, survivors, and children and other family members of victims and survivors who received assistance multiple times.b. The reasons that victims, survivors, and family members of victims and survivors requested assistance.c. Barriers, if any, encountered by victims, survivors, and family members of victims and survivors to receiving available services at a Family Justice Center, including actual or perceived barriers based on immigration status, criminal history, substance abuse or mental health issues, or privacy concerns.d. Recommendations of means to mitigate any identified barriers to accessing services and for improving the utilization rate of services.Added by Laws 2023, ch. 508,s 1, eff. 10/25/2024.Section 2 of the 2024 enacting legislation provides that this section takes effect immediately and is to be implemented as funds, personnel, and physical space become available.