(a) The State Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board is created as an autonomous agency of the state government.

(b) There is created the Department of Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention which shall operate under the State Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board and consist of a director and such other employees of the department.

(c) There shall be a director of the department appointed by the Governor from a list of candidates submitted under Section 26-16-6(a)(2). The director shall not be a member of the state classified civil service. The director shall be compensated by a salary payable out of the State Treasury at the times and in the manner that the salary of other state officials is paid. The exact amount of the director's salary shall be set by the board.

(d) The director shall hire all staff required to exercise the powers and carry out the duties of the department with the approval of the state board. In carrying out the duties provided in subsection (b) of Section 26-16-6, the director shall coordinate these activities with the State Department of Human Resources, the Department of Mental Health, the Department of Public Health, the Department of Education, the Alabama State Law Enforcement Agency, and other state agencies as needed. The director, with the approval of the state board, shall have the authority to hire outside the state classified civil service an executive assistant who shall serve at the pleasure of the director. The state board shall approve the number of staff members hired and their job descriptions and further shall set the rate of pay or compensation due the executive assistant. Each staff member except the director and his or her executive assistant shall be a member of the state classified civil service.

(e) The director shall serve as secretary of the state board.