00                            SENATE BILL NO. 171                                                                         
01 "An Act relating to multidisciplinary child protection teams; and relating to                                           
02 investigation of child abuse or neglect."                                                                               
03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
04    * Section 1. AS 47.14.300(a) is repealed and reenacted to read:                                                    
05            (a)  The department shall facilitate the initial establishment of multidisciplinary                          
06       child protection teams to assist in the evaluation and investigation of reports of child                          
07       abuse or neglect, as defined in AS 47.17.290, made under AS 47.17 or initiated by the                             
08       department or a law enforcement agency and to provide consultation and coordination                               
09       for agencies involved in child-in-need-of-aid cases under AS 47.10. The                                           
10       multidisciplinary child protection teams shall                                                                    
11                 (1)  review records pertaining to a case referred to the team by the                                    
12       department, a law enforcement agency, or a team member;                                                           
13                 (2)  ensure that investigations and other matters involving child abuse                                 
14       or neglect are coordinated and conducted by trained investigators;                                                

01                 (3)  provide consultation to persons conducting investigations of child                                 
02       abuse or neglect;                                                                                                 
03                 (4)  assist in the reduction of trauma to a child and family involved in                                
04       an investigation of child abuse or neglect; and                                                                   
05                 (5)  take and recommend steps to avoid duplicative interviews of                                        
06       children.                                                                                                         
07    * Sec. 2. AS 47.14.300(b) is repealed and reenacted to read:                                                       
08            (b)  A team established under (a) of this section may, to the extent feasible, be                            
09       made up of                                                                                                        
10                 (1)  an employee of the department with expertise in child abuse and                                    
11       neglect;                                                                                                          
12                 (2)  a peace officer, as defined in AS 11.81.900;                                                       
13                 (3)  one or more staff members of a local child advocacy center, if a                                   
14       center is located in the relevant area;                                                                           
15                 (4)  a medical care provider licensed under AS 08;                                                      
16                 (5)  other persons with expertise in child abuse and neglect invited to                                 
17       serve as needed by consensus of the team as follows:                                                              
18                      (A)  mental and physical health practitioners licensed under                                       
19            AS 08;                                                                                                       
20                      (B)  child development specialists;                                                                
21                      (C)  educators;                                                                                    
22                      (D)  victim counselors as defined in AS 18.66.250;                                                 
23                      (E)  experts in the assessment and treatment of substance abuse;                                   
24                      (F)  representatives of the district attorney's office and the                                     
25            attorney general's office;                                                                                   
26                      (G)  a representative of an Indian tribe, as defined in 25 U.S.C.                                  
27            1903(8) (Indian Child Welfare Act), as designated by the tribe;                                              
28                      (H)  guardians ad litem; and                                                                       
29                      (I)  a representative of the division in the department with                                       
30            jurisdiction over juvenile justice.                                                                          
31    * Sec. 3. AS 47.14.300(c) is repealed and reenacted to read:                                                       

01            (c)  A team may meet, review records, and conduct business in the absence of                                 
02       one or more members of the team. The department shall make available to the team                                  
03       records pertaining to the case prepared by or in the possession of the department,                                
04       including confidential records, under AS 47.10.093(b). The team may make                                          
05       recommendations to the department on appropriate planning for the case.                                           
06    * Sec. 4. AS 47.14.300(e) is amended to read:                                                                      
07            (e)  A team shall meet at least monthly and may meet more often as                                       
08       needed. Meetings of a team are closed to the public and are not subject to the                                
09       provisions of AS 44.62.310 - 44.62.319 (Open Meetings Act).                                                       
10    * Sec. 5. AS 47.17.010 is amended to read:                                                                         
11            Sec. 47.17.010. Purpose. To [IN ORDER TO] protect children whose health                                  
12       and well-being may be adversely affected through the infliction, by other than                                    
13       accidental means, of harm through physical injury or neglect, mental injury, sexual                               
14       abuse, sexual exploitation, or maltreatment, the legislature requires the reporting of                            
15       these cases by practitioners of the healing arts and others to the department. It is not                          
16       the intent of the legislature that persons required to report suspected child abuse or                            
17       neglect under this chapter investigate the suspected child abuse or neglect before they                           
18       make the required report to the department. Reports must be made when there is a                                  
19       reasonable cause to suspect child abuse or neglect in order to make state investigative                           
20       and social services available in a wider range of cases at an earlier point in time, to                           
21       make sure that investigations regarding child abuse and neglect are conducted by                                  
22       trained investigators, and to avoid subjecting a child to duplicative [MULTIPLE]                              
23       interviews about the abuse or neglect. It is the intent of the legislature that, as a result                      
24       of these reports, protective services will be made available in an effort to                                      
25                 (1)  prevent further harm to the child;                                                                 
26                 (2)  safeguard and enhance the general well-being of children in this                                   
27       state; and                                                                                                        
28                 (3)  preserve family life unless that effort is likely to result in physical                            
29       or emotional damage to the child.                                                                                 
30    * Sec. 6. AS 47.17.033(c) is amended to read:                                                                      
31            (c)  An investigation by the department or another investigating agency of                               

01       child abuse or neglect reported under this chapter shall be conducted by a person                                 
02       trained to conduct a child abuse and neglect investigation and without subjecting a                               
03       child to duplicative interviews [MORE THAN ONE INTERVIEW] about the abuse                                     
04       or neglect except when new information is obtained that requires further information                              
05       from the child.