There is hereby established a Child Placement Advisory Council to consist of one member from each of the child placement review boards to be selected annually by the chairman of each review board. The Director of the Administrative Office of the Courts and the council shall jointly develop a budget which shall provide the council with reasonable and necessary administrative and clerical support services adequate to enable the council to carry out its responsibilities and shall reimburse the members of the council for reasonable and necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties.
The council shall have the authority, consistent with the funds appropriated to the Administrative Office of the Courts for the purposes of this act, to determine annually its program and budget. The council shall, in consultation with the Administrative Office of the Courts, develop guidelines for its annual programs and other aspects of this act.
It shall be the responsibility of the council to:
a. Advise the Supreme Court with respect to the issuance of rules governing the duties, responsibilities and practices of the review boards;b. Review the policies, practices and procedures of the division with respect to the placement of children;c. Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of this act in promoting the welfare of children placed outside their home. These activities may be carried out through the regular collection of data from each county, as well as through other appropriate means;d. Advise the Supreme Court with respect to the establishment of guidelines and procedures for the training of placement review board members;e. Advise the Supreme Court with respect to the establishment of reporting procedures to be followed by the review boards for the provision of data for the evaluation of this act;f. Make an annual report on the effectiveness of the implementation of this act to the Supreme Court, the Governor and the Legislature and such other reports as it may deem proper or as may be requested from time to time by the Supreme Court, the Governor or the Legislature; andg. Review county plans and reports pursuant to section 8 of P.L. 1977, c. 424 (C. 30:4C-57).L.1977, c.424; amended by L.1978, c.125, s.9; 1982, c.24, s.7; 1987, c.252, s.11.