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<law><site_title>Virginia Decoded</site_title><site_url>https://vacode.org</site_url><law_id>83191</law_id><section_number>9.1-151</section_number><catch_line>Court-Appointed Special Advocate Program; appointment of advisory committee</catch_line><edition url="https://vacode.org/2025/" slug="2025" current="TRUE" last_updated="">2025</edition><referred_to_by><reference>2.2-507</reference><reference>63.2-1509</reference></referred_to_by><structure><unit label="title" level="1" order_by="1" identifier="9.1">Commonwealth Public Safety</unit><unit label="chapter" level="2" order_by="1" identifier="1">Department of Criminal Justice Services</unit><unit label="article" level="3" order_by="1" identifier="5">Court-Appointed Special Advocate Program</unit></structure><text>
						<section id="A"><p><span class="prefix-number">A.</span> There is established a <span class="dictionary">Court</span>-Appointed Special Advocate Program (the Program) that shall be administered by the <span class="dictionary">Department</span>. The Program shall provide services in accordance with this article to children who are subjects of judicial proceedings (i) involving <span class="dictionary">allegations</span> that the child is abused, neglected, in need of services, or in need of supervision or (ii) for the restoration of parental rights pursuant to &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Restoration of parental rights" href="/16.1-283.2/">16.1-283.2</a> and for whom the juvenile and domestic relations district <span class="dictionary">court</span> <span class="dictionary">judge</span> determines such services are appropriate. <span class="dictionary">Court</span>-Appointed Special Advocate volunteer appointments may continue for youth 18 years of age and older who are in foster care if the <span class="dictionary">court</span> has retained <span class="dictionary">jurisdiction</span> pursuant to subsection Z of &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Jurisdiction; consent for abortion" href="/16.1-241/">16.1-241</a> or &#xA7; <a class="law" title="Retention of jurisdiction" href="/16.1-242/">16.1-242</a> and the juvenile and domestic relations district <span class="dictionary">court</span> <span class="dictionary">judge</span> determines such services are appropriate. The <span class="dictionary">Department</span> shall adopt regulations necessary and appropriate for the administration of the Program. <a id="paragraph-298074" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/9.1-151/#A"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section>
						<section id="B"><p><span class="prefix-number">B.</span> The <span class="dictionary">Board</span> shall appoint an Advisory Committee to the <span class="dictionary">Court</span>-Appointed Special Advocate Program, consisting of 15 members, one of whom shall be a <span class="dictionary">judge</span> of the juvenile and domestic relations district <span class="dictionary">court</span> or <span class="dictionary">circuit</span> <span class="dictionary">court</span>, knowledgeable of <span class="dictionary">court</span> matters, child welfare, and juvenile justice <span class="dictionary">issues</span> and representative of both state and local interests. The duties of the Advisory Committee shall be to advise the <span class="dictionary">Board</span> on all matters relating to the Program and the needs of the clients served by the Program, and to make such recommendations as it may deem desirable. <a id="paragraph-298075" class="section-permalink" href="https://vacode.org/9.1-151/#B"><i class="fa fa-link"/></a></p></section></text><history>1990, c. 752, &#xA7; 9-173.6; 1994, c. 24; 2001, c. 844; 2013, cc. 338, 685; 2014, c. 636; 2016, c. 202; 2020, cc. 95, 732.</history><metadata></metadata></law>
