In 2017, the New Hampshire legislature enacted RSA 170–G:18, which established the Office of the Child advocate to oversee the state's child welfare, child protection and juvenile justice agency and to assure that the best interests of children are protected.

In 2018, SB 479 was passed to amend RSA 170–G:18, expanding accessibility of our office, ensuring confidentiality of people who contact us, and allowing us to be more effective in our mandate.

On September 18, 2020, RSA 21-V went into effect, repealing RSA 170-G:18 and codifying the Office of the Child Advocate in it's own statute.

The full text of RSA 21–V can be found on the New Hampshire General Court website

The Department of Health and Human Services, through their Ombudsman Office, is still required to handle case specific complaints for DHHS agencies.