5. a. The board shall establish a certification program for the State‘s child advocacy centers and multidisciplinary teams. The goal of the program shall be to ensure that:

(1) every child advocacy center or multidisciplinary team in the State applying for certification pursuant to subsection b. of this section is in compliance with guidelines of practice that are consistent with the accreditation standards developed by the National Children’s Alliance, or its successor; and

(2) the State’s child advocacy centers and multidisciplinary teams incorporate best practices and standards in providing child abuse prevention, intervention, and treatment services to survivors of child abuse and neglect.

b. Every child advocacy center and multidisciplinary team in the State may apply to the board for certification in a manner and on a form prescribed by the board. In order to qualify for certification with the board, a child advocacy center or multidisciplinary team shall adopt and implement guidelines of practice that are consistent with the accreditation standards developed by the National Children’s Alliance, or its successor. The guidelines shall, at a minimum, provide for:

(1) a multidisciplinary team response in an investigation of child abuse and neglect by representatives of the following core disciplines: law enforcement, child protective services, mental health, prosecution, victim advocacy, and medicine;

(2) the designation of a private, child-friendly interview and family meeting room which provides an environment that is physically and psychologically safe for, and provides comfort to, a survivor of child abuse and neglect and the survivor’s family during the course of an investigation of child abuse and neglect;

(3) protocols governing the forensic interview of a survivor of child abuse and neglect that comply with the 2010 Guidelines of Practice for Child Abuse Multidisciplinary Teams in New Jersey and current best practice standards and nationally recognized methods for forensic interviews, New Jersey Court Rules, relevant case law, and internal or external peer review;

(4) an interdisciplinary case review process that describes the responsibilities of each team member in an investigation of child abuse and neglect and the provisions of the services to a survivor of child abuse and neglect and the survivor’s family;

(5) a uniform system to identify, track, collect, and coordinate information obtained during an investigation of child abuse and neglect, and to monitor the progress and outcomes of the investigation;

(6) procedures to facilitate communication, collaboration, coordination, information sharing, problem solving, and decision making between team members during an investigation of child abuse and neglect;

(7) a dispute resolution process to resolve interdisciplinary conflicts that may arise between team members during the course of an investigation of child abuse and neglect;

(8) the provision of services, supports, and other assistance in a culturally competent manner to a survivor of child abuse and neglect and the survivor’s family during an investigation of child abuse and neglect;

(9) on-going, specialized interdisciplinary training for team members to enhance their basic skills and expertise in the investigation and prevention of child abuse and neglect;

(10) mechanisms and processes to allow the center to self-evaluate the effectiveness of its operations and its success in investigating child abuse and neglect;

(11) the establishment of county based child advocacy center-multidisciplinary team advisory boards to oversee the operations and administration of the child advocacy center or multidisciplinary team;

(12) the creation of an education and outreach program to train professionals from State and local governmental and community-based social services agencies in providing multidisciplinary services to survivors of child abuse and neglect and their families, and to educate the community on child maltreatment and child abuse prevention techniques;

(13) procedures to apply for and accept any grant of money from the State or federal government or other sources, which may be available to child advocacy centers and multidisciplinary teams; and

(14) reporting requirements on the use of grant funds received by a child advocacy center or multidisciplinary team pursuant to section 7 of this act.

c. If a child advocacy center or multidisciplinary team adopts and implements the guidelines of practice specified in subsection b. of this section, the board shall certify that a child advocacy center or multidisciplinary team is in compliance with the provisions of this act.

d. The board shall conduct an annual compliance review of each child advocacy center and multidisciplinary team the board certifies pursuant to subsection c. of this section, and shall evaluate the center or team to determine whether it continues to comply with the provisions of this act.

L.2017, c.90, s.5.