AB 1688: Child abuse or neglect: reporting.

Existing law, the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act, establishes procedures for the reporting and investigation of suspected child abuse or neglect. Existing law requires certain professionals, including specified health practitioners and social workers, known as mandated reporters, to report known or suspected child abuse or neglect to a local law enforcement agency or a county welfare or probation department, as specified. Existing law requires an employee of those agencies, in certain circumstances, to send or have sent, within 36 hours, a copy of a report made pursuant to these provisions to the attorney who represents the child, who is the subject of the report, in dependency court. Existing law requires the agency to maintain a copy of the written report and provide all information requested by the attorney for the child or the childs guardian ad litem within 30 days of the request.

If an a substantiated incident occurs in an out-of-home placement, placement or a child is removed from an out-of-home placement due to abuse or neglect, this bill would require a county welfare agency to send notice of the report to the attorney who represents a parent or legal guardian of the child in dependency court. court and, in the case of an Indian child, the tribal representative. The bill would make that requirement inapplicable to a parent whose parental rights have been terminated. The bill would prohibit the notice from disclosing the substance of the report, as specified. If the suspected substantiated abuse or neglect occurred in a placement, placement or a child is removed from an out-of-home placement due to abuse or neglect, the bill would require a county welfare agency to send a copy of the report to all attorneys who represent a child with an open dependency case in that placement, as provided. By expanding the duties of local agencies that receive reports alleging abuse or neglect of children, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.

The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.

This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.