West Virginia Code 49-4-406 – Multidisciplinary treatment process for status offenders or delinquents; requirements; custody; procedure; reports; cooperation; inadmissibility of certain statements
(a) When a juvenile is adjudicated as a status offender pursuant to § 49-4-711 of this code, the department shall promptly convene a multidisciplinary treatment team and conduct an assessment, utilizing a standard uniform comprehensive assessment instrument or protocol, including a needs assessment, to determine the juvenile’s mental and physical condition, maturity and education level, home and family environment, rehabilitative needs and recommended service plan, which shall be provided in writing to the court and team members. Upon completion of the assessment, the treatment team shall prepare and implement a comprehensive, individualized service plan for the juvenile.
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 49-4-406
- child: means an individual who meets one of the following conditions:
(A) Is under thirteen years of age. See West Virginia Code 49-1-202
- Court: means the circuit court of the county with jurisdiction of the case or the judge in vacation unless otherwise specifically provided. See West Virginia Code 49-1-207
- Custodian: means a person who has or shares actual physical possession or care and custody of a child, regardless of whether that person has been granted custody of the child by any contract or agreement. See West Virginia Code 49-1-204
- Facility: means a place or residence, including personnel, structures, grounds, and equipment used for the care of a child or children on a residential or other basis for any number of hours a day in any shelter or structure maintained for that purpose. See West Virginia Code 49-1-206
- Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
- in writing: includes any representation of words, letters, or figures, whether by printing, engraving, writing, or otherwise. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
- Juvenile: means any person under eighteen years of age or is a transitioning adult. See West Virginia Code 49-1-202
- Multidisciplinary team: means a group of professionals and paraprofessionals representing a variety of disciplines who interact and coordinate their efforts to identify, diagnose and treat specific cases of child abuse and neglect. See West Virginia Code 49-1-207
- Needs Assessment: means an evidence-informed assessment which identifies the needs a child or family has, which, if left unaddressed, will likely increase the chance of reoccurring. See West Virginia Code 49-1-206
- Out-of-home placement: means a post-adjudication placement in a foster family home, kinship parent home, group home, nonsecure facility, emergency shelter, hospital, psychiatric residential treatment facility, staff secure facility, hardware secure facility, detention facility, or other residential placement other than placement in the home of a parent, custodian, or guardian. See West Virginia Code 49-1-206
- Parent: means an individual defined as a parent by law or on the basis of a biological relationship, marriage to a person with a biological relationship, legal adoption or other recognized grounds. See West Virginia Code 49-1-204
- Placement: means any temporary or permanent placement of a child who is in the custody of the state in any foster home, kinship parent home, group home, or other facility or residence. See West Virginia Code 49-1-206
- Pre-adjudicatory community supervision: means supervision provided to a youth prior to adjudication, for a period of supervision up to one year for an alleged status or delinquency offense. See West Virginia Code 49-1-206
- Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
- Respondent: means all parents, guardians, and custodians identified in the child abuse and neglect petition who are not petitioners or copetitioners. See West Virginia Code 49-1-201
- State: when applied to a part of the United States and not restricted by the context, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" also include the said district and territories. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
- Status offender: means a juvenile who has been adjudicated as one:
(A) Who habitually and continually refuses to respond to the lawful supervision by his or her parents, guardian or legal custodian such that the juvenile'. See West Virginia Code 49-1-202
(b) When a juvenile is adjudicated as a delinquent or has been granted a pre-adjudicatory community supervision period pursuant to § 49-4-708 of this code, the court, either upon its own motion or motion of a party, may require the department to convene a multidisciplinary treatment team and conduct an assessment, utilizing a standard uniform comprehensive assessment instrument or protocol, including a needs assessment, to determine the juvenile’s mental and physical condition, maturity and education level, home and family environment, rehabilitative needs and recommended service plan, which shall be provided in writing to the court and team members. A referral to the department to convene a multidisciplinary treatment team and to conduct such an assessment shall be made when the court is considering placing the juvenile in the department’s custody or placing the juvenile out-of-home at the department’s expense pursuant to § 49-4-714 of this code. In any delinquency proceeding in which the court requires the department to convene a multidisciplinary treatment team, the probation officer shall notify the department at least 15 working days before the court proceeding in order to allow the department sufficient time to convene and develop an individualized service plan for the juvenile.
(c) When a juvenile has been adjudicated and committed to the custody of the Director of the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation, including those cases in which the juvenile has been committed for examination and diagnosis, or the court considers commitment for examination and diagnosis, the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation shall promptly convene a multidisciplinary treatment team and conduct an assessment, utilizing a standard uniform comprehensive assessment instrument or protocol, including a needs assessment, to determine the juvenile’s mental and physical condition, maturity and education level, home and family environment, rehabilitative needs and recommended service plan. Upon completion of the assessment, the treatment team shall prepare and implement a comprehensive, individualized service plan for the juvenile, which shall be provided in writing to the court and team members. In cases where the juvenile is committed as a post-sentence disposition to the custody of the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation, the plan shall be reviewed quarterly by the multidisciplinary treatment team. Where a juvenile has been detained in a facility operated by the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation without an active service plan for more than 60 days, the director of the facility may call a multidisciplinary team meeting to review the case and discuss the status of the service plan.
(d)(1) The rules of juvenile procedure shall govern the procedure for obtaining any assessment of a juvenile, preparing an individualized service plan and submitting the plan and any assessment to the court.
(2) In juvenile proceedings conducted pursuant to § 49-4-701 et seq. of this code, the following representatives shall serve as members and attend each meeting of the multidisciplinary treatment team, so long as they receive notice at least seven days prior to the meeting:
(A) The juvenile;
(B) The juvenile’s case manager in the department or the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation;
(C) The juvenile’s parent, guardian or custodian;
(D) The juvenile’s attorney;
(E) Any attorney representing a member of the multidisciplinary treatment team;
(F) The prosecuting attorney or his or her designee;
(G) The county school superintendent or the superintendent’s designee;
(H) A treatment or service provider with training and clinical experience coordinating behavioral or mental health treatment;
(I) The managed care case coordinator; and
(J) Any other person or agency representative who may assist in providing recommendations for the particular needs of the juvenile and family, including domestic violence service providers. In delinquency proceedings, the probation officer shall be a member of a multidisciplinary treatment team. When appropriate, the juvenile case manager in the department and the Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation shall cooperate in conducting multidisciplinary treatment team meetings when it is in the juvenile’s best interest.
(3) Prior to disposition, in each case in which a treatment planning team has been convened, the team shall advise the court as to the types of services the team has determined are needed and type of placement, if any, which will best serve the needs of the child. If the team determines that an out-of-home placement will best serve the needs of the child, the team shall first consider placement at facilities or programs located within the state. The team may only recommend placement in an out-of-state facility if it concludes, after considering the best interests and overall needs of the child, that there are no available and suitable in-state facilities which can satisfactorily meet the specific needs of the child. The multidisciplinary treatment team shall also determine and advise the court as to the individual treatment and rehabilitation plan recommended for the child for either out-of-home placement or community supervision. The plan may focus on reducing the likelihood of reoffending, requirements for the child to take responsibility for his or her actions, completion of evidence-based services or programs or any other relevant goal for the child. The plan may also include opportunities to incorporate the family, custodian or guardian into the treatment and rehabilitation process.
(4) The multidisciplinary treatment team shall submit written reports to the court as required by applicable law or by the court, shall meet with the court at least every three months, as long as the juvenile remains in the legal or physical custody of the state, and shall be available for status conferences and hearings as required by the court. The multidisciplinary treatment team shall monitor progress of the plan identified in subdivision (3) of this subsection and review progress of the plan at the regular meetings held at least every three months pursuant to this section, or at shorter intervals, as ordered by the court, and shall report to the court on the progress of the plan or if additional modification is necessary.
(5) In any case in which a juvenile has been placed out of his or her home except for a temporary placement in a shelter or detention center, the multidisciplinary treatment team shall cooperate with the state agency in whose custody the juvenile is placed to develop an after-care plan. The rules of juvenile procedure and § 49-4-409 of this code govern the development of an after-care plan for a juvenile, the submission of the plan to the court and any objection to the after-care plan.
(6) If a juvenile respondent admits the underlying allegations of the case initiated pursuant to §49-4-701 through § 49-4-725 of this code, in the multidisciplinary treatment planning process, his or her statements may not be used in any juvenile or criminal proceedings against the juvenile, except for perjury or false swearing.