7. a. The board shall consist of 13 members as follows: the Commissioner of Children and Families, the Commissioner of Health, the Director of the Division of Child Protection and Permanency in the Department of Children and Families, the Attorney General, and the Superintendent of State Police, or their designees, the State Medical Examiner, and the Chairperson or Executive Director of the New Jersey Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect, who shall serve ex officio; and six public members appointed by the Governor, one of whom shall be a representative of the New Jersey Prosecutors’ Association, one of whom shall be a Law Guardian, one of whom shall be a pediatrician with expertise in child abuse and neglect, one of whom shall be a psychologist with expertise in child abuse and neglect, one of whom shall be a social work educator with experience and expertise in the area of child abuse or a related field and one of whom shall have expertise in substance use disorder.

b. The public members of the board shall serve for three-year terms. Of the public members first appointed, three shall serve for a term of two years, and three shall serve for a term of three years. The members of the board shall serve without compensation but shall be eligible for reimbursement for necessary and reasonable expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties and within the limits of funds appropriated for this purpose. Vacancies in the membership of the board shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments were made.

c. The Governor shall appoint a public member to serve as chairperson of the board who shall be responsible for the coordination of all activities of the board and who shall provide the technical assistance needed to execute the duties of the board.

d. The board is entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau, commission, or agency as it may require and as may be available for the purposes of reviewing a case pursuant to the provisions of P.L.1997, c.175 (C. 9:6-8.83 et al.). The board may also seek the advice of experts, such as persons specializing in the fields of pediatric, radiological, neurological, psychiatric, orthopedic, and forensic medicine; nursing; psychology; social work; education; law enforcement; family law; substance use disorder; child advocacy; or other related fields, if the facts of a case warrant additional expertise.

L.1997, c.175, s.7; amended 2005, c.155, s.108; 2006, c.47, s.60; 2012, c.16, s.39; 2023, c.177, s.20.