Text: SF00504 Text: SF00506 Text: SF00500 - SF00599 Text: SF Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. Section 137.5, Code 2001, is amended by adding 1 2 the following new unnumbered paragraph: 1 3 NEW UNNUMBERED PARAGRAPH. A county board shall establish 1 4 the county's community review committee in accordance with 1 5 section 232.71B, subsection 15. 1 6 Sec. 2. Section 232.71B, subsection 3, Code 2001, is 1 7 amended to read as follows: 1 8 3. INVOLVEMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT. The department shall 1 9 applya protocolprotocols, developed withrepresentatives of1 10law enforcement agencies at the local levelthe local child 1 11 protection assistance team established pursuant to section 1 12 915.35, to prioritize child abuse reports and to work jointly 1 13 with child protection assistance teams and law enforcement 1 14 agencies in performing assessment and investigative processes 1 15 for child abuse reports in which a criminal act harming a 1 16 child is alleged. The county attorney and appropriate law 1 17 enforcement agencies shall also take any other lawful action 1 18 which may be necessary or advisable for the protection of the 1 19 child. If a report is determined not to constitute a child 1 20 abuse allegation, but a criminal act harming a child is 1 21 alleged, the department shall immediately refer the matter to 1 22 the appropriate law enforcement agency. 1 23 Sec. 3. Section 232.71B, Code 2001, is amended by adding 1 24 the following new subsection: 1 25 NEW SUBSECTION. 15. COMMUNITY REVIEW COMMITTEE. 1 26 a. The county board of health in each county shall 1 27 establish a volunteer community review committee in accordance 1 28 with this subsection. Unless provided otherwise in this 1 29 subsection, the membership of the committee shall be appointed 1 30 by the county board of health. Membership terms shall be for 1 31 two-year staggered terms and a member shall not serve for more 1 32 than one consecutive term. The county board of health may 1 33 delegate its appointment authority to the local community 1 34 empowerment area board or designate the area board to act as 1 35 the community review committee in a manner and with members 2 1 determined by the area board. The membership of a community 2 2 review committee may include but is not limited to the 2 3 following persons serving in a volunteer capacity: 2 4 (1) A public health nurse or other representative of the 2 5 county board of health. 2 6 (2) A member of the clergy. 2 7 (3) A parent with children residing in the parent's home. 2 8 (4) An individual appointed by the community empowerment 2 9 area board established pursuant to section 28.6 for the area 2 10 in which the county is located. 2 11 b. A committee may review the classification, assessment, 2 12 investigation, or disposition of a child abuse report made in 2 13 that county. A committee shall have full access to any 2 14 record, report, or other confidential child abuse information 2 15 obtained by the department in performing an assessment or 2 16 other response to a report of child abuse. A committee member 2 17 is subject to the confidentiality restrictions in law or 2 18 administrative rule applicable to the child abuse information 2 19 provided to the committee member including but not limited to 2 20 restrictions on redissemination of the information. 2 21 Notwithstanding chapter 21, the portion of a committee meeting 2 22 in which a specific child abuse case is reviewed or discussed 2 23 shall be closed. 2 24 c. The committee shall review and comment upon the 2 25 protocol developed by the department and the county's child 2 26 protection assistance team pursuant to subsection 3 for 2 27 prioritizing the response for the reports of child abuse made 2 28 for the county. The committee shall publicly issue an annual 2 29 report to the department and the district and juvenile court. 2 30 The annual report shall include findings and recommendations 2 31 regarding the effectiveness of local efforts and of state 2 32 policies in preventing, identifying, and addressing child 2 33 abuse. 2 34 Sec. 4. Section 235A.15, subsection 2, paragraph b, Code 2 35 2001, is amended by adding the following new subparagraph: 3 1 NEW SUBPARAGRAPH. (10) To a community review committee 3 2 established in accordance with section 232.71B, subsection 15, 3 3 reviewing the reports and to the child protection assistance 3 4 team established in accordance with section 915.35 for the 3 5 county in which the report was made. 3 6 Sec. 5. Section 915.35, subsection 4, Code 2001, is 3 7 amended to read as follows: 3 8 4. a. The purpose of a child protection assistance team 3 9 is to address the following goals in regard to cases of child 3 10 sexual abuse and physical abuse: 3 11 (1) Developing and maintaining interagency and 3 12 interprofessional cooperation and coordination in case 3 13 management and response. 3 14 (2) Implementing an interagency team and case management 3 15 approach that focuses upon the following, in priority order 3 16 beginning with the highest priority: needs of the child 3 17 victim, prosecution and civil proceedings relating to the 3 18 case, and involvement of members of the child's family who are 3 19 supportive of the child and whose interests are consistent 3 20 with the best interests of the child. 3 21 (3) Obtaining evidence that is useful for a criminal 3 22 prosecution and for protective action in civil proceedings. 3 23 (4) Providing for extensive, initial case screening and 3 24 validation procedures to ensure timely prosecution of 3 25 perpetrators of such abuse and to safeguard against false 3 26 allegations of abuse so that an innocent person may be timely 3 27 exonerated. 3 28 (5) Reducing to as few as possible the interviews of the 3 29 child victims of such abuse. 3 30 b.To the greatest extent possible, a multidisciplinaryA 3 31 child protection assistance team involving the county 3 32 attorney, law enforcement personnel, community-based child 3 33 advocacy organizations, and personnel of the department of 3 34 human services shall be utilized in investigating and 3 35 prosecuting cases involving a violation of chapter 709 or 726 4 1 or other crime committed upon a victim as defined in 4 2 subsection 1. A child protection assistance team shall be 4 3 established for each county by the county attorney. However, 4 4 by mutual agreement, two or more county attorneys may 4 5 establish a single child protection assistance team to cover a 4 6 multicounty area. A multidisciplinary team may also consult 4 7 with or include juvenile court officers, medical and mental 4 8 health professionals, physicians, other hospital-based health 4 9 professionals, court-appointed special advocates, guardians ad 4 10 litem, and members of a multidisciplinary team created by the 4 11 department of human services for child abuse investigations. 4 12 A child protection assistance team may work cooperatively with 4 13 the local community empowerment area board established under 4 14 section 28.6. The child protection assistance team shall work 4 15 with the department of human services in developing the 4 16 protocols for prioritizing child abuse reports and for law 4 17 enforcement agencies working jointly with the department at 4 18 the local level in processes for child abuse reports. The 4 19 department of justice may provide training and other 4 20 assistance to support the activities of a multidisciplinary 4 21 team referred to in this subsection. 4 22 Sec. 6. Section 331.756, Code 2001, is amended by adding 4 23 the following new subsection: 4 24 NEW SUBSECTION. 84A. Establish a child protection 4 25 assistance team in accordance with section 915.35. 4 26 SF 505 4 27 jp/cc/26
Text: SF00504 Text: SF00506 Text: SF00500 - SF00599 Text: SF Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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