37.715. Complaint procedures--annual report, contents. - Missouri Statutes

Complaint procedures--annual report, contents.

37.715. 1. The office shall establish and implement procedures forreceiving, processing, responding to, and resolving complaints made by oron behalf of children who are recipients of the services of the departmentsof social services and mental health, and the juvenile court. Suchprocedures shall address complaints relating to the actions, inactions, ordecisions of providers or their representatives, public or private childwelfare agencies, social service agencies, or the courts which mayadversely affect the health, safety, welfare, or rights of such recipient.

2. The office shall establish and implement procedures for thehandling and, whenever possible, the resolution of complaints.

3. The office shall have the authority to make the necessaryinquiries and review relevant information and records as the office deemsnecessary.

4. The office may recommend to any state or local agency changes inthe rules adopted or proposed by such state or local agency which adverselyaffect or may adversely affect the health, safety, welfare, or civil orhuman rights of any recipient. The office shall make recommendations onchanges to any current policies and procedures. The office shall analyzeand monitor the development and implementation of federal, state and locallaws, regulations and policies with respect to services in the state andshall recommend to the department, courts, general assembly, and governorchanges in such laws, regulations and policies deemed by the office to beappropriate.

5. The office shall inform recipients, their guardians or theirfamilies of their rights and entitlements under state and federal laws andregulations through the distribution of educational materials.

6. The office shall annually submit to the governor, the generalassembly, and the Missouri supreme court a detailed report on the work ofthe office of the child advocate for children's protection and services.Such report shall include, but not be limited to, the number of complaintsreceived by the office, the disposition of such complaints, the number ofrecipients involved in complaints, the state entities named in complaintsand whether such complaints were found to be substantiated, and anyrecommendations for improving the delivery of services to reduce complaintsor improving the function of the office of the child advocate forchildren's protection and services.

(L. 2004 H.B. 1453)