§ 4-1701. Duties and powers of the Commission.

(a)

[The Commission shall have the following duties and powers:]

(1)

To educate the Norman community regarding children's needs as they are relevant to the areas of child welfare, child care, the sexual exploitation of children, and related areas as may be further defined. Such education may occur through a variety of programs and media and would be conducted in conjunction with the existing juvenile service organizations and agencies;

(2)

To propose changes in City ordinances, laws or statutes as appropriate to the Norman City Council; that is, the Commission shall serve as an advisor to the City Council on the issue of children's rights and needs;

(3)

To serve as a liaison between the City Council and existing juvenile agencies, organizations and services, in order to promote communication, further understanding, establish broad-based educational programs, and provide much needed information for the Norman community concerning children's rights and needs. Thus, the coordinating commission shall serve to provide a networking of agencies.

(b)

The Commission shall not serve as a counseling service or social service agency. That is, members of the Commission, within their role as Commission members, shall not function as caseworkers or be privy to confidential information held by other agencies. Commission members will not lobby at the state or national level under the name of the Norman Commission on Children's Rights without the explicit permission of the Norman City Council.

(c)

The constitution of the Commission shall be apolitical and the individuals serving on it shall be from a variety of backgrounds and expertise. Thus, professionals from areas directly related to children's rights should be represented and concerned citizens who are not professionals in the field will also be represented.

The nine (9) member Commission shall include representatives from:

(1)

The Public School System (e.g., teacher, administrator or counselor);

(2)

The medical community (e.g., nurse, P.A., M.D.);

(3)

Juvenile Services/Child Welfare;

(4)

Family Counseling (e.g., counselor, pastor, etc.);

(5)

Legal System (e.g., lawyer or District Attorney's Office).

These professionals, while serving on the board, would serve as advisors regarding issues relating to their various areas of expertise.

The remaining seats (seats (6)—(9)) would be filled by community members concerned with the diverse and complex area of children's rights. Thus, the Commission would function with input from both professionals and lay people and therefore would provide a broader perspective on the pressing needs of children.

Members on the Commission shall serve a three-year term and may be reappointed. The Commission shall elect its own chair.

(d)

The Commission shall implement its objectives in the following ways:

(1)

It shall conduct joint meetings with other agencies in order to promote communication between agencies; to further information regarding various services provided; and to promote an atmosphere of collaboration on programs and services of mutual interest;

(2)

It shall conduct study sessions to evaluate the status of existing laws and statutes and report to the City Council and/or the Human Rights Commission as appropriate action may dictate;

(3)

It shall work closely with all forms of media to provide accurate information regarding children's issues and services and to promote the coverage of such issues; and

(4)

It shall prepare an annual report to be presented to the City Council concerning the state of children's needs in the City, programs and services offered over the past year and tentative plans for the future year.

(Ord. No. 0-8384-136)