A. There is hereby established within the Office of Juvenile Affairs the Division of Advocate Defender which will be separate and apart from the Office of General Counsel. The administrative officer of the Division of Advocate Defender shall be the Advocate General, who shall be an attorney with a minimum of three (3) years of experience as an attorney. The Executive Director of the Office of Juvenile Affairs shall employ such other personnel as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of this section. Such personnel may be dismissed only for cause.

B. The duties and responsibilities of the Advocate General are as follows:

1. Supervise personnel assigned to children's institutions and facilities as student defender/representatives;

2. Monitor and review grievance procedures and hearings;

3. Investigate grievances of juveniles and staff grievances related to juveniles which are not resolved at the facility level;

4. In cooperation with the Executive Director, establish a system for investigating allegations of misconduct by a person responsible for a child with regard to any child in the custody of the Office of Juvenile Affairs and placed in an Office of Juvenile Affairs secure juvenile facility;

5. Monitor the system to ensure the appropriate reporting to the Department of Human Services of allegations of abuse or neglect of juveniles who are in the custody of the Office of Juvenile Affairs and placed in private facilities or facilities operated by the Office of Juvenile Affairs;

6. Coordinate any hearings or meetings of administrative review committees conducted as a result of unresolved grievances or as a result of investigations;

7. Make recommendations to the Executive Director of the Office of Juvenile Affairs, and provide regular or special reports regarding grievance procedures, hearings and investigations to the Executive Director of the Office of Juvenile Affairs, the Office of Juvenile System Oversight and other appropriate persons as necessary;

8. Forward to the Office of Juvenile Systems Oversight, for the information of the Executive Director of the Office of Juvenile Systems Oversight, a copy of the final report of a complaint which is not resolved, through the system for resolution of grievances established by the Office of Juvenile Affairs, in the favor of the complainant; and

9. Perform such other duties as required by the Executive Director of the Office of Juvenile Affairs.

Added by Laws 1994, c. 290, § 10, eff. July 1, 1994. Amended by Laws 1995, c. 352, § 78, eff. July 1, 1995. Renumbered from § 1507.7 of Title 10 by Laws 1995, c. 352, § 199, eff. July 1, 1995. Amended by Laws 2009, c. 234, § 8, emerg. eff. May 21, 2009. Renumbered from § 7302-3.2 of Title 10 by Laws 2009, c. 234, § 171, emerg. eff. May 21, 2009. Amended by Laws 2010, c. 220, § 3, emerg. eff. May 6, 2010.