Bill Text: VA SB421 | 2014 | Regular Session | Chaptered
Bill Title: Multidisciplinary child sexual abuse response teams, local; attorney to establish to review cases.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2014-04-23 - Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0801) [SB421 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2014-SB421-Chaptered.html
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Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia: 1. That the Code of Virginia is amended by adding a section numbered 15.2-1627.5 as follows: §15.2-1627.5. Coordination of multidisciplinary response to child sexual abuse. A. The attorney for the Commonwealth in each jurisdiction in the Commonwealth shall establish a multidisciplinary child sexual abuse response team, which may be an existing multidisciplinary team. The multidisciplinary team shall conduct regular reviews of new and ongoing reports of felony sex offenses in the jurisdiction involving a child and the investigations thereof and, at the request of any member of the team, may conduct reviews of any other reports of child abuse and neglect or sex offenses in the jurisdiction involving a child and the investigations thereof. The multidisciplinary team shall meet frequently enough to ensure that no new or ongoing reports go more than 60 days without being reviewed by the team. B. The following individuals, or their designees, shall participate in review meetings of the multidisciplinary team: the attorney for the Commonwealth; law-enforcement officials responsible for the investigation of sex offenses involving a child in the jurisdiction; a representative of the local child protective services unit; a representative of a child advocacy center serving the jurisdiction, if one exists; and a representative of an Internet Crimes Against Children task force affiliate agency serving the jurisdiction, if one exists. In addition, the attorney for the Commonwealth may invite other individuals, or their designees, including the school superintendent of the jurisdiction; a representative of any sexual assault crisis center serving the jurisdiction, if one exists; the director of the victim/witness program serving the jurisdiction, if one exists; and a health professional knowledgeable in the treatment and provision of services to children who have been sexually abused. 2. That the provisions of this act shall become effective on July 1, 2015. 3. That the Department of Criminal Justice Services shall disseminate sample guidelines for protocols, procedures, and memoranda of understanding for multidisciplinary child sexual abuse response teams that may be implemented by such teams. |
