43-4302. Legislative intent.

(1) It is the intent of the Legislature to:

(a) Establish a full-time program of investigation and performance review to provide increased accountability and oversight of the Nebraska child welfare system;

(b) Assist in improving operations of the Nebraska child welfare system;

(c) Provide an independent form of inquiry for concerns regarding the actions of individuals and agencies responsible for the care and protection of children and youth in the Nebraska child welfare system. Confusion of the roles, responsibilities, and accountability structures between individuals, private contractors, branches of government, and agencies in the current system make it difficult to monitor and oversee the Nebraska child welfare system; and

(d) Provide a process for investigation and review to determine if individual complaints and issues of investigation and inquiry reveal a problem in the child welfare system, not just individual cases, that necessitates legislative action for improved policies and restructuring of the child welfare system.

(2) It is not the intent of the Legislature in enacting the Office of Inspector General of Nebraska Child Welfare Act to interfere with the duties of the Legislative Auditor or the Legislative Fiscal Analyst or to interfere with the statutorily defined investigative responsibilities or prerogatives of any officer, agency, board, bureau, commission, association, society, or institution of the executive branch of state government, except that the act does not preclude an inquiry on the sole basis that another agency has the same responsibility. The act shall not be construed to interfere with or supplant the responsibilities or prerogatives of the Governor to investigate, monitor, and report on the activities of the agencies, boards, bureaus, commissions, associations, societies, and institutions of the executive branch under his or her administrative direction.

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