Iowa Code § 235.3

The director shall:

1. Plan and supervise all public child welfare services and activities within the state as provided by this chapter.

2. Make reports and obtain and furnish information as necessary to permit cooperation by the director with the United States children’s bureau, the social security administration, or any other federal agency which is charged with any duty regarding child care or child welfare services.

3. Adopt rules as necessary or advisable for the supervision of the private child-caring agencies or their officers which the department is empowered to license and supervise.

4. Supervise private institutions for the care of dependent, neglected, and delinquent children, and make reports regarding the institutions.

5. Designate and approve the private and county institutions within the state to which neglected, dependent, and delinquent children may be legally committed, supervise the care of children committed to these institutions, and have the right to visit and inspect these institutions at all times.

6. Receive and keep on file annual reports from all institutions to which children subject to the jurisdiction of the juvenile court are committed, compile statistics regarding juvenile delinquency, make reports regarding juvenile delinquency, and study prevention and cure of juvenile delinquency.

7. Require and receive from the clerks of the courts of record within the state duplicates of the findings of the courts upon petitions for adoption, and keep records and compile statistics regarding adoptions.

8. License private child-placing agencies, make reports regarding the agencies, and revoke licenses.

9. Make rules and regulations as necessary for the distribution and use of funds appropriated for child welfare services.

88 Acts, ch 1158, §52; 89 Acts, ch 19, §1; 90 Acts, ch 1204, §49; 2013 Acts, ch 30, §45; 2023 Acts, ch 19, §692