SB370: relative to multidisciplinary child protection teams.

CHAPTER 118

SB 370-FN – FINAL VERSION

2006 SESSION

06-2752

05/09

SENATE BILL 370-FN

AN ACT relative to multidisciplinary child protection teams.

SPONSORS: Sen. Gottesman, Dist 12; Sen. Foster, Dist 13; Sen. D'Allesandro, Dist 20; Sen. Clegg, Dist 14; Sen. Letourneau, Dist 19; Sen. Fuller Clark, Dist 24; Rep. Mooney, Hills 19; Rep. Knowles, Straf 6; Rep. Wall, Straf 7

COMMITTEE: Health and Human Services

ANALYSIS

This bill permits the department of health and human services to enter into agreements with other agencies and professionals to assist in investigating and evaluating reports of child abuse and neglect.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.

Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]

Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.

06-2752

05/09

STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE

In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Six

AN ACT relative to multidisciplinary child protection teams.

Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:

118:1 New Section; Multidisciplinary Child Protection Teams. Amend RSA 169-C by inserting after section 34 the following new section:

169-C:34-a Multidisciplinary Child Protection Teams.

I. The department of health and human services may enter into formal cooperative agreements with appropriate agencies and organizations to create multidisciplinary child protection teams to assist with the investigation and evaluation of reports of abuse and neglect under this chapter.

II. Multidisciplinary child protection team members may include licensed physical and mental health practitioners, educators, law enforcement officers, representatives from the local child advocacy center, social workers, and such other individuals as may be necessary to assist with the investigation and evaluation of reports of abuse or neglect.

III. The department may share information from its case records to the extent permitted by law with members of a multidisciplinary child protection team in order to assist the team with its investigation and evaluation of a report of abuse or neglect. Multidisciplinary child protection team members shall be required to execute a confidentiality agreement and shall be bound by the confidentiality provisions of RSA 169-C:25 and RSA 170-G:8-a.

IV. The department, in conjunction with the department of justice and the New Hampshire Network of Children’s Advocacy Centers, shall develop a written protocol for multidisciplinary child protection team investigations. The purpose of the protocol shall be to ensure the coordination and cooperation of the agencies involved in multidisciplinary child protection team investigations, to increase the efficiency in the handling of these cases, and to minimize the impact on the child of the legal and investigatory process. The protocol developed shall be reviewed and, if necessary, revised not less than once every 3 years. The department shall forward a copy of the approved protocol to the speaker of the house of representatives, the senate president, and the governor by November 1 of the year in which they were approved and revised.

118:2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.

Approved: May 11, 2006

Effective: July 10, 2006