Current through Register Vol. 56, No. 6, March 18, 2024
(a) A youth services commission shall have a chairperson and one or more co-chairperson(s), each of whom shall be a voting member of the youth services commission selected by its members in accordance with the youth services commission's bylaws. In order to avoid a conflict of interest or a perceived conflict of interest, the chairperson or co-chairperson cannot be the supervisor of the youth services commission administrator.
(b) Each committee chair shall be a voting member of the youth services commission and is responsible for presenting the committee's work and recommendations to the youth services commission.
(c) Each youth services commission shall establish standing committees to consider issues set forth in this subsection. All work and recommendations presented to the youth services commission must be presented to and approved by the executive committee provided pursuant to (c)6 below.
1. The development of a comprehensive youth services plan and updates prepared in accordance with the provisions at N.J.A.C. 13:90-3.11. In developing the plan, this committee shall review data as required by the Commission's comprehensive planning guidelines and any additional relevant data, including, for example, data gathered through focus groups and surveys, on an ongoing basis to identify the needs of youth within the county and to identify strategies to address those needs.
2. The review of proposals from providers seeking to provide sanctions and services and/or delinquency prevention programs, ensuring mechanisms are in place to review and score proposals to determine whether proposals meet the requirements of the RFP, which shall include a review of prior year monitoring findings; reviewing RFPs prior to release to ensure they reflect the services and programs approved by the youth services commissions; and ensuring no conflicts of interest exist among individuals participating in the review of proposals tied to any particular RFP.
3. Monitoring and evaluation of sanctions and services for juveniles adjudicated or charged as delinquent, and delinquency prevention programs, which includes: reviewing the results of each monitoring conducted by the monitoring team convened in accordance with any guidance issued by the Commission; discussing the acceptability of corrective action plans submitted by the youth services commission administrator, monitoring team, and funded providers; ensuring a process is in place to evaluate the programs and services; and providing timely recommendations to the youth services commission for consideration as part of the decision to renew a contract.
4. Education, training, and community awareness, including educating the community on the youth services commission's roles and responsibilities and developing and implementing a community engagement plan to enlist the community's participation in identifying the needs of youth and strategies to address those needs. The community engagement plan should identify specific outreach and engagement strategies that will be employed (for example, town hall meetings, listening sessions, webinars, social media campaigns) and the expected outcomes of those strategies.
5. Racial and ethnic disparity in the juvenile justice system, with a focus on making recommendations regarding how to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in the county's juvenile justice system through data-driven practices, community-based programming, and coordination of system reform initiatives.
6. Executive and administrative matters, which shall be addressed through an executive committee, consisting of the chairs of all standing committees, the chair, and co-chair of the youth services commission, and which shall set the agenda for youth services commission meetings, review committee progress and corresponding reports to be presented at the youth services commission meetings, and determine the need for and call any special meetings of the youth services commission.
(d) If permitted by the bylaws of a youth services commission by vote of the youth services commission, individuals who are not members of the youth services commission may be invited to sit on the committees established pursuant to (c) above, provided that a voting majority of each committee shall at all times be made up of members of the county youth services commission.
