Maryland § 5-539.1

§ 5-539.1.

    (a)    In addition to any duties set forth elsewhere, the State Board shall, by examining the policies, procedures, and practices of State and local agencies and by reviewing, where appropriate, specific cases, evaluate the extent to which State and local agencies are effectively discharging their child protection responsibilities in accordance with:

        (1)    the State plan under 42 U.S.C. § 5106a(b);

        (2)    the child protection standards set forth in 42 U.S.C. § 5106a(b); and

        (3)    any other criteria that the State Board considers important to ensure the protection of children, including:

            (i)    a review of the extent to which the State child protective services system is coordinated with the foster care and adoption program established under Part E of Title IV of the Social Security Act; and

            (ii)    a review of child fatalities and near fatalities.

    (b)    (1)    Case reviews conducted under subsection (a) of this section shall include questions designed to meet the quality assessment goals for casework services in § 5–1308 of this title.

        (2)    The State Board shall tabulate and analyze the results of all case reviews conducted under subsection (a) of this section and submit the results and findings for consideration as part of the local department self–assessment process in § 5–1309 of this title.

        (3)    The State Board shall tabulate and analyze the results of all case reviews, both on a jurisdictional and a statewide basis, and submit the results and findings to the Department on a quarterly basis.

    (c)    The State Board shall:

        (1)    provide for public outreach and comment; and

        (2)    make available to the public systemic findings and recommendations of the State Board, the local citizen review panel, if any, and the local boards.

    (d)    The State Board may:

        (1)    by a majority vote of its members add up to four members with expertise in the prevention and treatment of child abuse and neglect for the purpose of performing its duties under this section; and

        (2)    to assist the State Board in its reviews of specific cases, designate:

            (i)    local teams composed of members of local boards of out–of–home care of children and staff; or

            (ii)    local citizens review panels established under § 5–539.2 of this subtitle.

    (e)    In consultation with local citizens review panels and the State Council on Child Abuse and Neglect, the State Board shall develop protocols that govern the scope of activities of local citizens review panels to reflect the provisions of the federal Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. § 5101 et seq.).

    (f)    The State Board shall coordinate its activities under this section with the State Council on Child Abuse and Neglect, the State Child Fatality Review Team, local citizens review panels, and the local child fatality review teams in order to avoid unnecessary duplication of effort.

    (g)    (1)    The State Board shall submit to the Secretary of Human Services and, subject to § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, the General Assembly on or before January 1 of each year and prepare and make available to the public a report containing a summary of its activities, findings, and recommendations under this section.

        (2)    The State Board may combine the reports required under paragraph (1) of this subsection and § 5–539 of this subtitle.

    (h)    Within 120 days after receiving the report from the State Board under § 5–539 of this subtitle or the report under subsection (g) of this section, the Secretary of Human Services shall send a written response to the State Board describing the actions to be taken by the Department in response to the recommendations of the State Board.