CHAPTER 730
An Act to direct the Office of the Children's Ombudsman to make recommendations for the establishment of the Parents Advocacy Commission; report.
[S 1443]
Approved March 27, 2023
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:
1. § 1. The Office of the Children's Ombudsman shall convene a work group to study the establishment of the Parents Advocacy Commission to provide training, qualification, and oversight for court-appointed counsel who represent parents in child dependency cases. The work group shall review, analyze, and make recommendations for possible models for the Parents Advocacy Commission's standards of practice and training and certification procedures, including the model currently implemented by the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission for court-appointed counsel in criminal proceedings. The work group shall also study and make recommendations for the development of local or regional offices for the Parents Advocacy Commission. The work group shall report such recommendations to the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary and the House Committee for Courts of Justice by November 1, 2023.