A. The Department shall assume administrative responsibilities for the statewide system. In this capacity, the Department shall establish an office to:

1. Develop a plan for the design and implementation of a statewide human services information and referral program;

2. Coordinate and supervise the implementation and operation of the information and referral program;

3. Coordinate funding for the system;

4. Select regional providers of information and referral services;

5. Supervise coordination of information management among information and referral regions across the Commonwealth;

6. Encourage effective relationships between the system and state and local agencies and public and private organizations;

7. Develop and implement a statewide publicity effort;

8. Provide training, technical assistance, research, and consultation for regional and local information and referral centers, and to localities interested in developing information and referral services;

9. Determine a core level of services to be funded from state government resources;

10. Coordinate standardization of resource data collection, maintenance and dissemination;

11. Stimulate and encourage the availability of statewide information and referral services;

12. Develop and implement a program for monitoring and assessing the performance and success of the information and referral program; and

13. Collect information on child-specific payments made through the Title IV-E foster care program and submit information, when available, to the Office of Children's Services.

B. The Department, in consultation with the Virginia Employment Commission and Virginia Community College System, shall develop and implement a plan for the provision to citizens receiving any form of public assistance of information regarding courses on financial literacy, offered online or through any other appropriate medium, that are available to such citizens at no cost to them.

1984, c. 402, § 63.1-314.5; 1990, c. 915; 2002, c. 747; 2003, cc. 54, 75; 2008, c. 277; 2015, cc. 366, 521.