Title 42, Title 42 Affairs and Government

There is hereby established an advisory committee to the office of the child advocate established under § 42-73-1. The advisory committee shall consist of nine (9) members, one attorney appointed by the Rhode Island Bar Association; one judge or magistrate of the family court app…

(a) It shall be the duty of the advisory committee to provide advice and support to the child advocate related to the duties described in § 42-73-7. The committee’s duties include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) Establish a regular meeting schedule and form subcommitt…

(a) The department of children, youth and families shall notify the office of the child advocate verbally and electronically within forty-eight (48) hours of a confirmed fatality or near fatality of a child who is the subject of a DCYF case and shall provide the office of the chi…

The child advocate may appoint those assistants that may be deemed necessary whose powers and duties shall be similar to those imposed upon the child advocate by law and any other staff as is deemed necessary. The duties of the assistants and other staff members shall be performe…

The general assembly shall annually appropriate those sums it may deem necessary for the payment of the salaries of the staff and for the payment of office expenses and other actual expenses incurred by the child advocate in the performance of the child advocate's duties; and the…

Notwithstanding any other provisions of this or any other chapter to the contrary, the child advocate shall act independently of the department of children, youth and families in the performance of the child advocate's duties.

The child advocate shall annually submit, to the governor and the general assembly, a detailed report analyzing the work of the child advocate's office and any recommendations resulting therefrom, including non-identifying child-fatality and near-fatality information and recommen…

The child advocate shall perform the following duties: (1) Insure that each child in protective care, custody or in treatment, and in proper cases, others interested in the child’s welfare is apprised of his or her rights under this chapter and chapter 72 of this title; (2) Revie…

The child advocate shall have access to the following information: (1) The names of all children in protective services, treatment, or other programs under the jurisdiction of the department of children, youth and families, and their location if in custody; (2) All written report…

The child advocate shall have the following rights and powers: (1) To communicate privately, by mail or orally, with any child in treatment, or under protective services; (2) To have access, including the right to inspect, copy, and/or subpoena records held by the clerk of the fa…

(a) In addition to the powers set forth in § 42-73-9, the child advocate, or the child advocate's designee, shall have the power to commence in the superior court a civil action against the state pursuant to the provisions of chapter 25 of title 12 on behalf of any child the cust…