Bill Text: DE HB376 | 2013-2014 | 147th General Assembly | Draft
Bill Title: An Act To Amend Title 16 Of The Delaware Code Relating To Abuse Of Children.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Passed) 2014-07-21 - Signed by Governor [HB376 Detail]
Download: Delaware-2013-HB376-Draft.html
SPONSOR: |
Rep. M. Smith & Sen. Blevins |
|
Reps. Bolden, Heffernan, Hudson, J. Johnson, Keeley, Kenton, Miro, Ramone, D. Short; Sens. Cloutier, Ennis, Hocker, Lopez |
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 147th GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
HOUSE BILL NO. 376 |
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 16 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO ABUSE OF CHILDREN. |
Section 1.Amend §902, Title 16 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:
§902. Definitions.
As used in this chapter, the following terms mean:
(14)
"Investigation Coordinator" shall mean a Department employee, appointed by the
Secretary, who is responsible for tracking authorized to
independently track each reported case of alleged child abuse or neglect
within the Department's internal information system, and who is
responsible for monitoring within the Department's multidisciplinary
tracking system each reported case involving the death of, or
serious physical injury to, a child, or allegations of sexual
abuse of a child, from inception to final criminal and civil
disposition.
Section 2.Amend §906, Title 16 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:
§906. State response to reports of abuse or neglect.
(c)(1) In implementing the Investigation Coordinator's role in the child protection system, the Investigation Coordinator, or the Investigation Coordinator's designee, shall:
(1) a. Track Have the
authority to track within the Division's Department's
internal information system each reported case of alleged child abuse or
neglect;
(2) b. Monitor within the
Department's multidisciplinary tracking system each case involving the
death of, serious physical injury to, or allegations of sexual abuse of a child
from inception to final criminal and civil disposition, and provide reports
information every 30 days 60 days on the status of each
case to the Division, the Department, the Delaware Department of Justice, the
Children's Advocacy Center, and the Office of Child Advocate;
(3) c. Within 2 working days 5
business days of the receipt of a report concerning allegations of child
abuse or neglect by a person known to be licensed or certified by a Delaware
agency or professional regulatory organization, forward a report of such
allegations to the appropriate Delaware agency or professional regulatory
organization;
(4) d. Report every case involving the
death or near death of a child due to abuse or neglect to the Child Death, Near
Death and Stillbirth Commission pursuant to §323(e) of Title 31; and
(5) e. Provide information to the
Child Protection Accountability Commission ("CPAC"), as requested by
CPAC, regarding the status, trends, and outcomes of any case or cases
of child abuse or neglect that are reported to the Division. Reports to CPAC
shall not disclose the identities of the child, alleged perpetrators, or others
involved in the case or cases.
(2) All information and records received, prepared, or maintained by the Investigation Coordinator, or the Investigation Coordinator's designee, are confidential and shall be exempt from the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act, Chapter 100 of Title 29.However, the disclosure of case specific data and information to the multidisciplinary team is authorized to ensure a comprehensive, integrated, multidisciplinary response to child abuse cases.
(3) The Investigation Coordinator, and the Investigation Coordinator's designee, as state employees, are entitled to immunity in accordance with §4001 of Title 10.
SYNOPSIS
This bill clarifies the duties of the Investigation Coordinator in the child protection system to have the authority to track each reported case of abuse or neglect, and to be responsible for tracking and monitoring each reported case of death, serious physical injury, and sexual abuse of a child within the Investigation Coordinator's independent tracking system.This bill also creates confidentiality and immunity clauses to protect the information and records obtained by the Investigation Coordinator. |