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House File 2327

Partial Bill History

Bill Text

PAG LIN
  1  1                                            HOUSE FILE 2327
  1  2                                    
  1  3                             AN ACT
  1  4 RELATING TO CHILD ABUSE ASSESSMENT REQUIREMENTS INVOLVING 
  1  5    NOTIFICATION OF PARENTS, INTERVIEWS OF PERSONS ALLEGED TO 
  1  6    HAVE COMMITTED CHILD ABUSE, AND TRAINING OF CHILD PROTECTION 
  1  7    WORKERS.
  1  8 
  1  9 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  1 10 
  1 11    Section 1.  Section 232.71B, subsection 2, Code Supplement
  1 12 2003, is amended to read as follows:
  1 13    2.  NOTIFICATION OF PARENTS.  The department, within five
  1 14 working days of commencing the assessment, shall provide
  1 15 written notification of the assessment to the child's parents.
  1 16 If a parent is alleged to have committed the child abuse, the
  1 17 notice shall inform the parents regarding the complaint or
  1 18 allegation made regarding the parent.  The parents shall be
  1 19 informed in a manner that protects the confidentiality rights
  1 20 of an individual who reported the child abuse or provided
  1 21 information as part of the assessment process.  However, if
  1 22 the department shows the court to the court's satisfaction
  1 23 that notification is likely to endanger the child or other
  1 24 persons, the court shall orally direct the department to
  1 25 withhold notification.  Within one working day of issuing an
  1 26 oral directive, the court shall issue a written order
  1 27 restraining the notification.  The department shall not reveal
  1 28 in the written notification to the parents or otherwise the
  1 29 identity of the reporter of child abuse to a subject of a
  1 30 child abuse report listed in section 235A.15, subsection 2,
  1 31 paragraph "a".
  1 32    Sec. 2.  Section 232.71B, subsection 4, paragraph e, Code
  1 33 Supplement 2003, is amended to read as follows:
  1 34    e.  An interview of the person alleged to have committed
  1 35 the child abuse, if the person's identity and location are
  2  1 known.  The offer of an interview shall be made to the person
  2  2 prior to any consideration or determination being made that
  2  3 the person committed the alleged abuse.  The person shall be
  2  4 informed of the complaint or allegation made regarding the
  2  5 person.  The person shall be informed in a manner that
  2  6 protects the confidentiality rights of the individual who
  2  7 reported the child abuse or provided information as part of
  2  8 the assessment process.  The purpose of the interview shall be
  2  9 to provide the person with the opportunity to explain or rebut
  2 10 the allegations of the child abuse report or other allegations
  2 11 made during the assessment.  The court may waive the
  2 12 requirement to offer the interview only for good cause.  The
  2 13 person offered an interview, or the person's attorney on the
  2 14 person's behalf, may decline the offer of an interview of the
  2 15 person.
  2 16    Sec. 3.  Section 232.76, Code 2003, is amended to read as
  2 17 follows:
  2 18    232.76  PUBLICITY, AND EDUCATIONAL, AND TRAINING PROGRAMS.
  2 19    1.  The department, within the limits of available funds,
  2 20 shall conduct a continuing publicity and educational program
  2 21 for the personnel of the department, persons required to
  2 22 report, and any other appropriate persons to encourage the
  2 23 fullest possible degree of reporting of suspected cases of
  2 24 child abuse.  Educational programs shall include but not be
  2 25 limited to the diagnosis and cause of child abuse, the
  2 26 responsibilities, obligations, duties and powers of persons
  2 27 and agencies under this chapter and the procedures of the
  2 28 department and the juvenile court with respect to suspected
  2 29 cases of child abuse and disposition of actual cases.
  2 30    2.  a.  For the purposes of this subsection, in addition to
  2 31 the definition in section 232.68, a "child protection worker"
  2 32 also includes any employee of the department who provides
  2 33 services to or otherwise works directly with children and
  2 34 families for whom child abuse has been alleged.
  2 35    b.  The training of a child protection worker shall include
  3  1 but is not limited to the worker's legal duties to protect the
  3  2 constitutional and statutory rights of a child and the child's
  3  3 family members throughout the child or family members' period
  3  4 of involvement with the department beginning with the child
  3  5 abuse report and ending with the department's closure of the
  3  6 case.  The curriculum used for the training shall specifically
  3  7 include instruction on the fourth amendment to the
  3  8 Constitution of the United States and parents' legal rights.  
  3  9 
  3 10 
  3 11                                                             
  3 12                               CHRISTOPHER C. RANTS
  3 13                               Speaker of the House
  3 14 
  3 15 
  3 16                                                             
  3 17                               JEFFREY M. LAMBERTI
  3 18                               President of the Senate
  3 19 
  3 20    I hereby certify that this bill originated in the House and
  3 21 is known as House File 2327, Eightieth General Assembly.
  3 22 
  3 23 
  3 24                                                             
  3 25                               MARGARET THOMSON
  3 26                               Chief Clerk of the House
  3 27 Approved                , 2004
  3 28 
  3 29 
  3 30                            
  3 31 THOMAS J. VILSACK
  3 32 Governor
     

Text: HF02326                           Text: HF02328
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