Text: SF00058 Text: SF00060 Text: SF00000 - SF00099 Text: SF Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
PAG LIN 1 1 Section 1. Section 232.71B, subsection 3, Code 2003, is 1 2 amended to read as follows: 1 3 3. INVOLVEMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT. The department shall 1 4 applya protocolprotocols, developed withrepresentatives of1 5law enforcement agencies at the local levelthe local child 1 6 protection assistance team established pursuant to section 1 7 915.35, to prioritize the actions taken in response to child 1 8 abuse reports and to work jointly with child protection 1 9 assistance teams and law enforcement agencies in performing 1 10 assessment and investigative processes for child abuse reports 1 11 in which a criminal act harming a child is alleged. The 1 12 county attorney and appropriate law enforcement agencies shall 1 13 also take any other lawful action which may be necessary or 1 14 advisable for the protection of the child. If a report is 1 15 determined not to constitute a child abuse allegation, but a 1 16 criminal act harming a child is alleged, the department shall 1 17 immediately refer the matter to the appropriate law 1 18 enforcement agency. 1 19 Sec. 2. Section 235A.15, subsection 2, paragraph b, Code 1 20 2003, is amended by adding the following new subparagraph: 1 21 NEW SUBPARAGRAPH. (10) To the child protection assistance 1 22 team established in accordance with section 915.35 for the 1 23 county in which the report was made. 1 24 Sec. 3. Section 331.756, Code 2003, is amended by adding 1 25 the following new subsection: 1 26 NEW SUBSECTION. 83B. Establish a child protection 1 27 assistance team in accordance with section 915.35. 1 28 Sec. 4. Section 915.35, subsection 4, Code 2002, is 1 29 amended to read as follows: 1 30 4. a.To the greatest extent possible, a1 31multidisciplinaryA child protection assistance team involving 1 32 the county attorney, law enforcement personnel, community- 1 33 based child advocacy organizations, and personnel of the 1 34 department of human services shall be utilized in 1 35 investigating and prosecuting cases involving a violation of 2 1 chapter 709 or 726 or other crime committed upon a victim as 2 2 defined in subsection 1. A child protection assistance team 2 3 shall be established for each county by the county attorney. 2 4 However, by mutual agreement, two or more county attorneys may 2 5 establish a single child protection assistance team to cover a 2 6 multicounty area. 2 7 b. The purpose of a child protection assistance team is to 2 8 address the following goals in regard to cases of child sexual 2 9 abuse and physical abuse: 2 10 (1) Developing and maintaining interagency and 2 11 interprofessional cooperation and coordination in case 2 12 management and response. 2 13 (2) Implementing an interagency team and case management 2 14 approach that focuses upon the following, in priority order 2 15 beginning with the highest priority: needs of the child 2 16 victim, prosecution and civil proceedings relating to the 2 17 case, and involvement of members of the child's family who are 2 18 supportive of the child and whose interests are consistent 2 19 with the best interests of the child. 2 20 (3) Obtaining evidence that is useful for a criminal 2 21 prosecution and for protective action in civil proceedings. 2 22 (4) Providing for extensive, initial case screening and 2 23 validation procedures to ensure timely prosecution of 2 24 perpetrators of such abuse and to safeguard against false 2 25 allegations of abuse so that an innocent person may be timely 2 26 exonerated. 2 27 (5) Reducing to as few as possible the interviews of the 2 28 child victims of such abuse. 2 29 c. Amultidisciplinarychild protection assistance team 2 30 may also consult with or include juvenile court officers, 2 31 medical and mental health professionals, physicians or other 2 32 hospital-based health professionals, court-appointed special 2 33 advocates, guardians ad litem, and members of a 2 34 multidisciplinary team created by the department of human 2 35 services for child abuse investigations. A child protection 3 1 assistance team may work cooperatively with the local 3 2 community empowerment area board established under section 3 3 28.6. The child protection assistance team shall work with 3 4 the department of human services in accordance with section 3 5 232.71B, subsection 3, in developing the protocols for 3 6 prioritizing the actions taken in response to child abuse 3 7 reports and for law enforcement agencies working jointly with 3 8 the department at the local level in processes for child abuse 3 9 reports. The department of justice may provide training and 3 10 other assistance to support the activities of a 3 11multidisciplinarychild protection assistance teamreferred to3 12in this subsection. 3 13 Sec. 5. IMPLEMENTATION OF ACT. Section 25B.2, subsection 3 14 3, shall not apply to this Act. 3 15 EXPLANATION 3 16 This bill requires establishment of county child protection 3 17 assistance teams. 3 18 Code section 232.71B, relating to child abuse assessments, 3 19 is amended to require the department of human services to 3 20 develop protocols with county child protection assistance 3 21 teams for prioritizing the actions taken in response to child 3 22 abuse reports and for working jointly with such teams and law 3 23 enforcement agencies. 3 24 Code section 235A.15 is amended to provide a child 3 25 protection assistance team with access to confidential child 3 26 abuse report and disposition information for the reports made 3 27 in the county served by the team. 3 28 The bill requires establishment of county child protection 3 29 assistance teams by modifying existing law in Code section 3 30 915.35. The existing law provides for optional use of a 3 31 multidisciplinary team for investigations and prosecutions of 3 32 criminal cases involving child victims of a sexual crime under 3 33 Code chapter 709, relating to sexual abuse, or Code chapter 3 34 726, relating to protection of the family and dependent 3 35 persons, or of a forcible felony. The bill changes the name 4 1 of the team to "child protection assistance team" and requires 4 2 a team to be established for each county by the county 4 3 attorney. However, by mutual agreement, two or more county 4 4 attorneys may establish a single county protection assistance 4 5 team for a multicounty area. The bill includes a physician or 4 6 other hospital-based health professional in the list of the 4 7 persons who may be consulted by a child protection assistance 4 8 team. In addition, a team may work cooperatively with the 4 9 local community empowerment area board. 4 10 Code section 331.756 is amended to include the 4 11 establishment of a child protection assistance team in the 4 12 duties of the county attorney. 4 13 The bill may include a state mandate as defined in Code 4 14 section 25B.3. The bill makes inapplicable Code section 4 15 25B.2, subsection 3, which would relieve a political 4 16 subdivision from complying with a state mandate if funding for 4 17 the cost of the state mandate is not provided or specified. 4 18 Therefore, political subdivisions are required to comply with 4 19 any state mandate included in the bill. 4 20 LSB 1531SS 80 4 21 jp/cf/24
Text: SF00058 Text: SF00060 Text: SF00000 - SF00099 Text: SF Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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