(a) The Department shall enter into a memorandum of understanding with an entity that has expertise in child welfare best practices to assist in the development and implementation of a local department self-assessment process to monitor the quality of:

(1) child welfare services provided by the local departments; and

(2) the management of the child welfare system by the Administration.

(b) A local department self-assessment shall be conducted every 3 years.

(c) In conducting the self-assessment, a local department shall be required to:

(1) incorporate the results from the outcome measures in §§ 5-1303 through 5-1306 of this subtitle;

(2) incorporate the results of the quality assessment of casework services in § 5-1308 of this subtitle; and

(3) consider the results of the case reviews conducted by the Citizens’ Review Board for Children.

(d) After a local department self-assessment is accepted by the Administration, the local departments shall develop a plan to:

(1) maintain performance that meets standards;

(2) strengthen areas needing improvement; and

(3) describe how areas needing improvement will be addressed and how improvements will be measured.

(e) The Secretary shall adopt regulations governing the local department self-assessment process, including:

(1) the development of quality assurance procedures;

(2) performance standards;

(3) the timing of the assessment;

(4) the scope of the assessment;

(5) the process by which the Administration may accept or reject the local assessment and the plan;

(6) the process by which the Administration shall monitor the implementation of the local plans described in subsection (d) of this section; and

(7) the process by which the Administration shall use the assessments of the local departments to develop the statewide assessment under Title 45 § 1355.33(b) of the Code of Federal Regulations.

(f) (1) The Department shall enter into a memorandum of understanding with an entity with expertise in child welfare best practices to collect and maintain information necessary to conduct a local department self-assessment and statewide assessment.

(2) Any unit of State government substantively involved with abused or neglected children may contribute information to the entity provided in paragraph (1) of this subsection.