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1994 SESSION

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HB 627 Child protective services.

Introduced by: David G. Brickley | all patrons    ...    notes | add to my profiles

SUMMARY:

Child protective services. Amends provisions regarding the confidentiality of child protective services records of local departments of social services to allow the department to disclose the contents of confidential records to the following entities when the department determines that there is a legitimate interest and disclosure is in the best interests of the child: persons responsible for investigating abuse, other public human services agencies, school and day care personnel and persons with whom the child might be placed if the child is removed. A department's decision to disclose to one of the specified entities is given a statutory presumption of reasonableness and lawfulness. Unauthorized disclosure of the information by anyone to whom it has been lawfully disclosed remains a Class 1 misdemeanor.

Local departments of social services are required to report certain cases of child abuse to the local law- enforcement agency; currently reports on theses cases are required only to the Commonwealth's attorney. Records of prior complaints involving the same victim or perpetrator would also be shared with the Commonwealth's attorney and local law-enforcement agency. Currently prior complaints are shared with the Commonwealth's attorney only if they involve the same victim and the case was founded.

A state- level child fatality review advisory committee, chaired by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, is established to develop procedures to ensure that child deaths occurring in Virginia are reviewed in a systematic way.


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