CSHB 348(HES): "An Act establishing the interagency work group on agency accountability and child interview methods."
00CS FOR HOUSE BILL NO. 348(HES) 01 "An Act establishing the interagency work group on agency accountability and 02 child interview methods." 03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04 * Section 1. AS 47.17 is amended by adding a new section to read: 05 Sec. 47.17.100. INTERAGENCY WORK GROUP AND MEMORANDUM OF 06 AGREEMENT ON AGENCY ACCOUNTABILITY AND CHILD INTERVIEW 07 METHODS. (a) The interagency work group to increase agency accountability for and 08 to improve methods of interviewing minors who are alleged to have been abused or 09 neglected is established in the department. The work group consists of five 10 representatives, whose job description includes participation in the work group, from the 11 following departments: 12 (1) two persons from the department; one person shall be an employee 13 of the division dealing with family and youth services and the other person shall have 14 expertise in the area of children's mental health;
01 (2) one person from the Department of Public Safety; 02 (3) one person from the Department of Education; and 03 (4) one person from the Department of Law. 04 (b) The interagency work group shall prepare a memorandum of agreement that 05 will guide all participating agencies in their involvement with interviews of minors who 06 are alleged to have been abused or neglected. At a minimum, the memorandum of 07 agreement must 08 (1) identify the best and most effective methods to establish 09 accountability for those who interview minors who are alleged or suspected to have been 10 abused or neglected; 11 (2) identify the best and most effective methods for 12 (A) videotaping; 13 (B) audiotaping; 14 (C) team interviews; 15 (D) note taking; 16 (E) documentation; and 17 (F) enforcing file content standards; 18 (3) provide for interagency cooperation in 19 (A) initial and continuing training or education for interviewers, 20 including education regarding new and updated methods of interviewing minors 21 and regarding new equipment useful for interviewing minors; 22 (B) establishing respect for family members during the interview 23 process; 24 (C) maintaining family unity during the interview process unless 25 the nature of the investigation clearly indicates otherwise; and 26 (D) sensitivity to public response and public input; 27 (4) focus on increasing agency and interviewer accountability and 28 minimizing negative effects on families; and 29 (5) review the statutory definition of "abuse or neglect" to determine if 30 the definition leads to uniform and fair results. 31 (c) The interagency work group shall meet at the times the members of the work
01 group consider necessary. At a minimum, the memorandum of agreement must be 02 reviewed and updated in the year following each gubernatorial election year as 03 determined under AS 15.35.010, and must be completed in those years before the 04 beginning of the next regular session of the legislature the following year. Each revised 05 and updated memorandum of agreement shall be made available to the legislature and 06 the public for review. The work group shall notify the legislature that the memorandum 07 of agreement is available for review. 08 * Sec. 2. The initial memorandum of agreement required to be prepared under AS 47.17.100, 09 added by sec. 1 of this Act, shall be completed by January 1, 1997. Unless an earlier revision 10 and update to the memorandum of agreement is determined to be necessary by the interagency 11 work group created in sec. 1 of this Act, the first revision and update shall be conducted in 1999 12 and completed before the beginning of the regular legislative session in 2000.