Bill > S2224

Introduced Session

This bill requires the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to establish policies and procedures to detect and investigate incidents of child abuse and neglect and to promote child abuse prevention techniques that are to be employed for the duration of any public health emergency declared pursuant to P.L.2005, c.222 (C.26:13-1 et seq.) that necessitates restrictions on person-to-person contact. The policies and procedures are to include, but not be limited to: (1) publicizing the DCF's State Central Registry, as well as other information on reporting child abuse and neglect; (2) allowing certain child protective investigators and permanency workers to perform duties, if appropriate, remotely; (4) allowing the family of a child under the department's care, custody, and supervision to access services remotely, if appropriate; (5) providing for the preparation and dissemination of resource materials prepared by the department regarding child abuse and neglect; and (6) providing for the regular review and analysis of the State's child abuse reporting requirements. The bill authorizes the department to employ these policies and procedures according to the specific circumstances of an existing public health emergency, provided that the department addresses the deficiencies presented by the existing public health emergency regarding child abuse detection, investigation, and prevention. Under the bill, the DCF, in consultation with the Department of Education (DOE), is required to establish a public awareness campaign regarding the protection of children from abuse and neglect during public health emergencies that require restrictions on person-to-person contact; and the policies and procedures established under the bill. The bill also requires the DCF to prepare a fact sheet on the information provided through the public awareness campaign, and to make the fact sheet available in various electronic locations. The DCF is to collect and analyze data on all records of child abuse reports made during the public health emergency declared in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and issue a report, no later than one year after the effective date of the bill, to the Governor and the Legislature. The bill requires the DOE and the DCF to develop an online training program for school employees on the detection and prevention of child abuse, inclusive of how to do so during a public health emergency that requires restrictions on person-to-person contact. The online training program is to be made available to all school districts in the State, free of charge, to assist school employees on the identification, detection, reporting, and response to issues of child abuse. The DOE, in consultation with the DCF, is also to require every school district in the State, during a public health emergency that requires restrictions on person-to-person contact, to: (1) allow students and their families to remotely access information about the DCF's Family Helpline and other similar telephone hotlines; and (2) remotely provide a behavioral health assessment to every student who is deemed at-risk of child abuse or neglect as determined by a school psychologist, school counselor, or school social worker.

Committee Categories

Teresa Ruiz (D)*,  Joe Vitale (D)*, 

Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee (on 01/09/2024)

Official Document