(a) There is continued within the Office of the Inspector General the position of the West Virginia Foster Care Ombudsman. The Office of the Inspector General shall employ a Foster Care Ombudsman to affect the purposes of this article. (b) In addition to the duties provided in 9-5-27 of this code, the duties of the […]
(a) Upon receipt of a complaint filed on behalf of a foster child, foster parent, or kinship parent, on his or her own initiative or by court order within the scope of the Foster Care Ombudsman Program, the Foster Care Ombudsman shall investigate, except as provided in 49-9-102(c), any act, practice, policy, or procedure of […]
(a) The Foster Care Ombudsman shall, with proper identification, have access to a foster family home, a state agency, a child-placing agency, or a residential care facility for the purposes of investigations of a complaint. The Foster Care Ombudsman may enter a foster family home, a state agency, a child-placing agency, or a residential care […]
(a) The Foster Care Ombudsman is allowed access to any foster childs, foster parents or kinship parents records, including medical records reasonably necessary to any investigation, without fee. (b) The Foster Care Ombudsman is allowed access to all records of any foster family home, state agency, child-placing agency, or residential care facility that is reasonably […]
(a) The Foster Care Ombudsman may, in the course of any investigation: (1) Apply to the circuit court of the appropriate county or the Circuit Court of Kanawha County for the issuance of a subpoena to compel at a specific time and place, by subpoena, the appearance, before a person authorized to administer oaths, the […]
(a) The Foster Care Ombudsman shall have access to the records of any state government agency reasonably necessary to any investigation. The Foster Care Ombudsman shall be notified of and be allowed to observe any survey conducted by a government agency affecting the health, safety, welfare, or rights of the foster child, the foster parents, […]
(a) Information relating to any investigation of a complaint that contains the identity of the complainant or foster child, foster parent, or kinship parent shall remain confidential except: (1) Where disclosure is authorized in writing by the complainant foster child, foster parent, kinship parent, or the guardian.
(a) The Foster Care Ombudsman participating in an investigation carried out pursuant to this article who is performing his or her duties is immune from civil liability that otherwise might result by reason of his or her participation in the investigation, as long as such participation is not violative of any applicable law, rule, or […]
(a) An individual who willfully interferes with or impedes the Foster Care Ombudsman in the performance of his or her official duties shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not more than $100. (b) An individual who institutes or commits a discriminatory, disciplinary, retaliatory, or reprisal action against a […]
The Foster Care Ombudsman Program shall receive such funds appropriated by the Legislature for the operation of the program.
