TITLE 1: GOVERNMENT
DIVISION 2: EXECUTIVE BRANCH
§ 2374. Division of Youth Services: Duties and Responsibilities. The division shall: (a) Provide services and programs to the youth of the Commonwealth, including but not limited to recreational services, individual and group counseling, outreach, survival education, employability development, and substance abuse prevention activities; (b) Make referrals when certain services are best provided by other agencies within the Commonwealth government or by other entities within the community; (c) Assist community groups which provide or sponsor programs and services beneficial to youth; help those groups obtain access to community facilities and resources, and provide training to those groups on relevant topics. However, nothing in this article shall be construed to require the division to provide those groups with either material or financial support; (d) Collect, analyze, and disseminate information and research data concerning youth needs and youth problems in the Commonwealth; (e) Provide secure care for those youth whom the juvenile court has determined require temporary custody for their own protection or that of the community. Those youth include adjudicated delinquent children or youth under juvenile court jurisdiction who have violated a valid court order. (f) Provide nonsecure care for those youth who require temporary custody for their own protection or well-being; (g) Approve arrangements for the use of private homes and public and private residential care facilities for the secure and nonsecure care of juveniles under the custody of either the court or the division. (h) Investigate and certify all prospective foster parents and homes, or cause such investigations and certification to occur, for the placement of juveniles by the Commonwealth court or the Division of Youth Services. The certification shall be consistent with criteria to be promulgated by the division in a manner conforming to the Administrative Procedure Act (1 CMC § 9101 et seq.), and shall have the objective of ensuring a safe, healthy, and moral environment for a juvenile placed there. The certification shall be renewed annually from the date of original certification and may be voided by the division’s administrator when the foster setting is found by the division’s administrator to be in violation of certification criteria. The foster home may be recertified once it is in compliance with certification criteria. No juvenile may be placed in a foster home or a residential care facility, which is supported by the Commonwealth government and which is not certified by the division. (i) Provide parent effectiveness training to those youth and families who have come under the jurisdiction of the division and to other persons in the community. (j) Assume custody of youth referred to the division by the Department of Public Safety or by the court; (k) Provide those services to youth who are referred to the division after adjudication by the court, which are consistent with the orders of the court and which are conducive to the rehabilitation of the youth. Such services may include but
TITLE 1: GOVERNMENT
DIVISION 2: EXECUTIVE BRANCH
are not limited to: probation supervision, counseling, public service, restitution, nonlegal advocacy, placement in residential and nonresidential treatment programs, and foster care. (l) When requested, provide to the court written reports, which contain background information on the adjudicated youth and a recommendation for the rehabilitation of the youth. The division shall also provide written reports every six months on the progress of each youth referred to the division, a copy of which will be submitted to the youth and to the judge of the juvenile court. The division shall orally explain the contents of the report to the youth. (m) Provide or arrange for the production of home studies for the courts in the Commonwealth and in other jurisdictions when a resident of the Commonwealth is a party to an adoption or a long term residential placement. Source: PL 3-67, § 3 (§ 8).