House File 17
HOUSE FILE
BY BODDICKER
Passed House, Date Passed Senate, Date
Vote: Ayes Nays Vote: Ayes Nays
Approved
A BILL FOR
1 An Act revising requirements for the department of human
2 services' written report of a child abuse assessment.
3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
4 TLSB 1148YH 80
5 jp/sh/8
PAG LIN
1 1 Section 1. Section 232.71B, subsection 11, unnumbered
1 2 paragraph 1, Code 2003, is amended to read as follows:
1 3 ASSESSMENT REPORT == ABUSE DETERMINED. The department,
1 4 upon Upon completion of the an assessment in which it is
1 5 determined that the alleged abuse meets the definition of
1 6 child abuse, the department shall make a written report of the
1 7 assessment, in accordance with all of the following:
1 8 Sec. 2. Section 232.71B, Code 2003, is amended by adding
1 9 the following new subsection:
1 10 NEW SUBSECTION. 11A. ASSESSMENT REPORT == ABUSE NOT
1 11 DETERMINED. Upon completion of an assessment in which it is
1 12 not determined that the alleged abuse meets the definition of
1 13 child abuse, the department shall make a written report of the
1 14 assessment in accordance with all of the following:
1 15 a. The written assessment shall include a description of
1 16 the child's condition, identification of the alleged injury or
1 17 risk to which the child was exposed, and the reason the
1 18 alleged injury or risk was not determined to meet the
1 19 definition of child abuse.
1 20 b. Identification of the person or persons alleged to be
1 21 responsible for the alleged child abuse.
1 22 c. The written assessment shall be completed within twenty
1 23 business days of the receipt of the report.
1 24 d. The department shall notify each subject of the child
1 25 abuse report, as identified in section 235A.15, subsection 2,
1 26 paragraph "a", of the results of the assessment, of the
1 27 subject's right, pursuant to section 235A.19, to correct the
1 28 report data or disposition data which refers to the subject,
1 29 and of the procedures to correct the data.
1 30 EXPLANATION
1 31 This bill revises requirements for the department of human
1 32 services' written report of a child abuse assessment.
1 33 The bill amends Code section 232.71B, which outlines the
1 34 duties of the department and others in performing an
1 35 assessment in response to a report of child abuse. Under
2 1 current law, the department is required to complete a
2 2 comprehensive written report on the assessment performed
2 3 regardless of whether or not it is determined that the alleged
2 4 abuse meets the definition of child abuse. The bill provides
2 5 that for a case in which there is not a determination made
2 6 that the alleged abuse meets the definition of child abuse,
2 7 less information is required to be documented in the written
2 8 report of the assessment.
2 9 LSB 1148YH 80
2 10 jp/sh/8