15-11-68. Duties of juvenile court intake officers; training.

A juvenile court intake officer:#

1. (1)

   Shall receive and examine complaints and charges of delinquency, of dependency, or that a child is a child in need of services for the purpose of considering the commencement of proceedings under this chapter;#

2. (2)

   Shall make appropriate referrals to other private or public agencies of the community if such assistance appears to be needed or desirable;#

3. (3)

   Shall compile on a regular basis the case files or a report on those cases that were informally adjusted for review by the judge;#

4. (4)

   May not conduct accusatory proceedings against a child or draft judicial orders, official charges, or any other document which is required to be drafted by an attorney;#

5. (5)

   Shall perform all other functions designated by this chapter or by order of the court pursuant to this chapter; and#

6. (6)

   Except as provided in Article I, Section II, Paragraph IX(d) of the Constitution, no county juvenile court intake officer, or DJJ staff member serving as a juvenile court intake officer, shall be liable for the acts of a child not detained or taken into custody when, in the judgment of such officer, such detention or custody is not warranted.#

Notwithstanding subsection (a) of this Code section, DJJ, as the employer, shall maintain sole authority over the duties and responsibilities of all DJJ staff members serving as juvenile court intake officers. No DJJ staff member shall serve as a juvenile court intake officer in a dependency proceeding commenced under Article 3 of this chapter.#

Each juvenile court intake officer exercising the authority to remove a child pursuant to the provisions of Articles 1 and 3 of this chapter shall:#

1. (1)

   First successfully complete an initial eight hours of appropriate training; and#

2. (2)

   Annually thereafter complete a minimum of two hours of training each year during which he or she serves as a juvenile court intake officer.#

3. Such initial and annual training shall be relevant to the performance of such determinations, including, but not limited to, training concerning contrary to the welfare determinations, reasonable efforts to prevent removal of a child and diligent search requirements consistent with Article 3 of this chapter, reasonable alternatives to foster care, and DFCS policies and procedures related to the removal of a child and placement of such child in foster care.