West Virginia § 49-6-116 Establish a missing foster child locator unit program

West Virginia Statutes

§ 49-6-116 — Establish a missing foster child locator unit program

West Virginia § 49-6-116

Ch. 49CHILD WELFARE

Art. 6MISSING CHILDREN INFORMATION ACT

This text of West Virginia § 49-6-116 (Establish a missing foster child locator unit program) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering West Virginia primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook

W. Va. Code § 49-6-116 (2026).

Text

(a)The Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Human Services 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.

(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,

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

(a) The Secretary of the West Virginia Department of Human Services 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.

(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 Human Services 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.