Nebraska Administrative Code › Topic - FOSTER CARE REVIEW OFFICE › Title 162 - Foster Care Review Office › Chapter 2 - Foster Care Review Office Organization and Procedures › Section 162-2-001 - Advisory Committee

Current through June 17, 2024
001.01 Advisory
				Committee Membership
The Advisory Committee shall consist of five members
				  appointed by the Governor and approved by the Legislature.
Per Neb. Rev. Stat. 43-1302, the Governor shall appoint three
				  members from a list of twelve local board members submitted by the Health and
				  Human Services Committee of the Legislature, one member from a list of four
				  persons with data analysis experience submitted by the Health and Human
				  Services Committee of the Legislature, and one member from a list of four
				  persons who are residents of the state and are representative of the public at
				  large submitted by the Health and Human Services Committee of the
				  Legislature.
The Health and Human Services Committee of the Legislature
				  shall hold a confirmation hearing for the appointees, and the appointments
				  shall be subject to confirmation by the Legislature, except that the initial
				  members and members appointed while the Legislature is not in session in 2012
				  shall serve until the next session of the Legislature, at which time a majority
				  of the members of the Legislature shall approve or disapprove of the
				  appointments.
The appointment of a member of the local board to the
				  Advisory Committee shall not create a vacancy on the local
				  board.
001.02 Pecuniary
				Interests/Conflicts of Interest
Advisory Committee members shall have no pecuniary interest
				  in the foster care system and shall not be employed by the Office, the
				  Department of Health and Human Services, a county, a child-caring agency, a
				  child-placing agency, or a court.
Members of the Committee will assure that the advice and
				  recommendations of the Advisory Committee will not be inappropriately
				  influenced by the appointing authority or by any special interest, but will
				  instead be the result of the advisory committee's independent judgment.
Members of the Committee will endeavor to pursue a course of
				  conduct that will not raise suspicion among the public that a member is likely
				  to be engaged in acts that are in violations of his or her
				  trust.
001.03 Advisory
				Committee Terms
Per Neb. Rev. Stat. 43-1302, the terms of the members shall
				  be for three years, except that the Governor shall designate two of the initial
				  appointees to serve initial terms ending on March 1, 2014, and three of the
				  initial appointees to serve initial terms ending on March 1, 2015. The Governor
				  shall make the initial appointments within thirty days after the operative date
				  of the act (2012).
Members shall not serve more than two consecutive terms,
				  except that members shall serve until their successors have been appointed and
				  qualified. The Governor shall appoint members to fill vacancies in the same
				  manner as the original appointments to serve for the remainder of the unexpired
				  term.
001.04 Advisory
				Committee Functions
The duties of the Foster Care Advisory Committee are to:
(a) hire and fire an Executive
				Director for the Office who has training and experience in foster care; and
(b) support and facilitate the work
				of the Office, including the tracking of children in foster care and reviewing
				foster care file audit case reviews.
The Foster Care Advisory Committee will assist the Director:
(a) determine key issues of the
				foster care system and ways to resolve the issues and to otherwise improve the
				system, and
(b) to make policy
				recommendations.
In order to support and facilitate the work of the
				  Office:
1. Committee members will
				embrace citizen review and a child-centered focus to agency decision
				making.
2. Committee members will
				acknowledge the statewide and regional issues affecting the child welfare
				system.
3. Committee members who
				have not served on local boards will gain understanding of the
				process.
4. Committee members will
				be or become prepared to provide information and feedback relevant to the
				agency or the child welfare system.
5. Committee members will acknowledge the
				expertise, historical knowledge, and multi-dimensional backgrounds of the
				Director and staff. Members will value open and honest communication and mutual
				respect.
6. Committee members will
				acknowledge the observations of the staff and local boards.
7. Committee members will work with the
				Director and staff in a unified collaborative spirit to strengthen and enhance
				the programs of the Office.
8. If
				requested, the Committee members will assist in working with the Director and
				staff to support and facilitate the work being done to address the issues staff
				and local board members have identified.
9. Committee members will be accountable to
				the public trust.
The Committee may also provide other support to the Director
				  upon his or her request.