2. a. The Commissioner of Children and Families shall ensure that no child protection worker is concurrently responsible for more than 15 cases at any time, unless the commissioner determines that assignment of cases in excess of this limit is temporarily necessary to ensure the life and safety of any child under the care and supervision of the Department of Children and Families.

b. If the average daily caseload of child protection workers exceeds 15 cases per worker for two consecutive months, the department shall be considered non-compliant with caseload standards established pursuant to this section. In such circumstances, the department shall:

(1) within 14 days of initial non-compliance under this subsection, deliver to the Governor, the Staffing and Oversight Review Subcommittee of the New Jersey Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect established pursuant to subsection c. of section 2 of P.L.1994, c.119 (C. 9:6-8.75), and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C. 52:14-19.1), the Legislature, notice of the non-compliance and a summary of emergent efforts being made to rectify the non-compliance; and

(2) post, on a monthly basis, on the department’s Internet website, the average daily Statewide caseload of child protection workers, until such time as the average daily caseload has been maintained at 15 or fewer cases per worker for 30 days.

c. As used in this section, “child protection worker” means an employee of the Division of Child Protection and Permanency or the Institutional Abuse Investigation Unit in the Department of Children and Families, or any other agency or successor agency conducting child abuse investigations pursuant to section 4 of P.L.1971, c.437 (C. 9:6-8.11) or providing child protective services pursuant to P.L.1951, c.138 (C. 30:4C-1 et seq.).

L.2022, c.130, s.2.