§ 9-31-501. Dyslexia screening — Intervention services
(a) Within thirty (30) calendar days, excluding holidays, of being committed to the Division of Youth Services, a juvenile shall have his or her reading proficiency level assessed and a dyslexia screening shall be delivered with fidelity, as defined in § 6-41-602. (b) If a reading assessment or dyslexia screening under subsection (a) of this […]
§ 9-31-502. Requirements for educators — Science of reading
(a) An individual who teaches nonreaders and juveniles reading at a sixth-grade level or below in the education system of the Division of Youth Services shall: (1) Have and demonstrate proficient knowledge and skills to teach reading consistent with the best practices of scientific reading instruction as required under the Right to Read Act, § […]
§ 9-32-101. Collaboration of state agencies to form and implement statewide child abduction response teams
(a) (1) The following agencies shall collaborate in a multiagency effort to rescue abducted or endangered children, implement one (1) or more statewide child abduction response teams, and allocate the respective resources of each agency to cases involving missing or endangered children: (A) Office of the Attorney General; (B) Division of Arkansas State Police; (C) […]
§ 9-30-103. Definitions
As used in this chapter: (1) “Child” means a person under eighteen (18) years of age; (2) (A) “Child abuse” means any nonaccidental physical injury, mental injury, sexual abuse, or sexual exploitation inflicted by those legally responsible for the care and maintenance of the child, or an injury that is at variance with the history […]
§ 9-32-201. Short title
This subchapter shall be known as and may be cited as the “Arkansas Child Welfare Public Accountability Act”.
§ 9-30-105. Powers and duties of the Department of Human Services
(a) The Department of Human Services shall adopt rules necessary for the implementation of this chapter. (b) Regarding the administration of the Children’s Trust Fund, the department shall: (1) Promulgate rules prescribing the procedure for establishing local councils; (2) Provide for the coordination and exchange of information on the establishment and maintenance of local councils […]
§ 9-32-202. Legislative findings
To enhance the public’s access to child welfare program performance indicators, to raise the public’s awareness of the child welfare program’s client outcomes, to enable the General Assembly to monitor and assess the performance of the Division of Children and Family Services, the Division of Aging, Adult, and Behavioral Health Services, and the Division of […]
§ 9-28-1003. Safeguards for children in foster care
(a) Special safeguards, resources, and care should be provided to children involved in dependency-neglect cases who are in foster care or in an out-of-home placement because of the temporary or permanent separation from parents. (b) A child in foster care in the State of Arkansas shall be entitled to the following: (1) To be cherished […]
§ 9-28-1201. Youth Justice Reform Board — Creation — Membership
(a) To ensure statewide accountability for the delivery of youth services consistent with this subchapter, the Division of Youth Services shall create the Youth Justice Reform Board no later than sixty (60) days following July 22, 2015. (b) (1) Except for a member who is appointed from the General Assembly, the members of the Youth […]
§ 9-28-1202. Powers and duties — Definitions
(a) As used in this section and § 9-28-1203: (1) “Proven effective community-based alternatives” means interventions, supports, programs, and practices that are recognized as best practices based on rigorous evaluation and research, or are based on a clear and well-articulated theory or conceptual framework for delinquency prevention. These include, without limitation, community-based services that are […]