210.187. Child abuse and neglect services and funding, task force on children's justice to make recommendations and award grant moneys. - Missouri Statutes

Child abuse and neglect services and funding, task force onchildren's justice to make recommendations and award grant moneys.

210.187. 1. The task force on children's justice established by thechildren's division within the department of social services to recommendimprovements in the area of child abuse and neglect services and providefunding for such recommendations shall provide an independent review ofpolicies and procedures of state and local child protective servicesagencies, and where appropriate, specific cases, and shall evaluate theextent to which the agencies are effectively discharging their childprotection responsibilities.

2. Consistent with the task force's function of reviewingapplications for federal grant moneys available to the state under theChildren's Justice Act which are designed to assist eligible states inimplementing programs for the handling, investigation, and prosecution ofchild abuse cases, the task force shall consider the awarding of grantmoneys which address the issues that arise from the independent reviewconducted by the task force pursuant to subsection 1 of this section. Asauthorized by the Children's Justice Act, grant moneys shall be awarded forthe following categories:

(1) Improvements to the investigative, administrative, and judicialhandling of cases of child abuse and neglect;

(2) Experimental, model, and demonstration programs for testinginnovative approaches and techniques to improve the prompt and successfulresolution of court proceedings or enhance the effectiveness and judicialadministration action in child abuse and neglect cases; and

(3) Reform of state laws, rules, protocols, and procedures to providecomprehensive protection for children from abuse and neglect.

3. The members of the task force shall not disclose to any person orgovernment official any identifying information concerning a specific childprotection case with respect to which the task force is providinginformation and shall not make public other information unless authorizedby federal or state law.

4. The task force shall be provided:

(1) Access to information on cases that the task force desires or isrequested to review if such information is necessary for the task force tocarry out its functions pursuant to this section; and

(2) Upon request, assistance from the department of social servicesfor the performance of the task force's duties.

(L. 2004 H.B. 1453)