41-3-1003. Establishment of local citizen review board -- membership. (1) Subject to the availability of funds, the district court judge of a district designated pursuant to 41-3-1002 to operate a pilot program shall establish a local citizen review board in the judicial district to review the case of each child assigned to foster care by the district court.
     (2) A local citizen review board is composed of at least three and not more than five members appointed by the district court judge of a judicial district designated pursuant to 41-3-1002. Each member appointed must be sworn in by a judge of the judicial district to which the member is appointed to serve.
     (3) The district court judge of a judicial district designated pursuant to 41-3-1002 shall appoint the local citizen review board according to the following guidelines:
     (a) Members of a local citizen review board must be recruited from groups with special knowledge of or interest in foster care and child welfare, which may include but is not limited to adoptive parents and members of the professions of law, medicine, psychology, social work, and education.
     (b) As far as practicable, members of a local citizen review board shall represent the various socioeconomic and ethnic groups of the area served.
     (c) A person employed by the department of public health and human services, by a private agency regulated, certified, directed, or licensed by or contracting with the department of public health and human services, or by a district court may not serve on a local citizen review board.
     (d) A member of a local citizen review board must be a resident of one of the counties of the judicial district that the member is appointed to serve.
     (4) The members of a local citizen review board must be willing to serve without compensation.

     History: En. Sec. 3, Ch. 610, L. 1993; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 386, L. 1995; amd. Sec. 173, Ch. 546, L. 1995.