(a) The Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources shall establish a Missing Foster Child Locator Unit within the department with a minimum staffing of a northern-based caseworker, a southern-based caseworker, and an identified worker located in the Centralized Intake Unit.

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Terms Used In West Virginia Code 49-6-116

  • child: means an individual who meets one of the following conditions:

    (A) Is under thirteen years of age. See West Virginia Code 49-1-202

  • Oversight: Committee review of the activities of a Federal agency or program.
  • Secretary: means the Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources. See West Virginia Code 49-1-208

(b) The duties of the Missing Foster Child Locator Unit shall include, but are not limited to, the following:

(1) Receiving reports of missing foster children;

(2) Assisting law enforcement in locating missing foster children who have been reported missing; and

(3) Interviewing missing foster children and completing trafficking screening once the child is located.

(c) For this section, “missing foster child” means missing child or missing and endangered child, as defined in § 49-6-103 of this code, who is a foster child at the time he or she was reported missing.

(d) Beginning in July 1, 2021, and each year thereafter, the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Resources shall provide a status report to the Legislative Oversight Committee on Health and Human Resources Accountability.

(e) The secretary shall implement and administer this program at least until December 31, 2022. The secretary may administer this program after such date.