Rhode Island General Laws Title 42. State Affairs and Government § 42-73-9.1. Additional powers--Criminal injuries to children

(a) In addition to the powers set forth in § 42-73-9, the child advocate, or his or her designee, shall have the power to commence in the superior court a civil action against the state pursuant to the provisions of chapter 25 of title 12 on behalf of any child the custody of whom has been assigned to any institution or agency under the control of the department of children, youth, and families or other private agency or provided in § 14-1-34.

(b) Any judgment for compensation or order for settlement of the claim for compensation entered by the court pursuant to the provisions of § 12-25-3 shall be considered as the estate of the child for whose benefit the judgment or order is entered, to be held by the office as guardian of that compensation, and shall be deposited into a trust account established by the office for the purposes of distributing those funds to the child in accordance with the plan adopted by the family court pursuant to the provisions of § 14-1-35.1.