Bill > S1321

This bill amends Chapter 268 of the General Laws to establish protections for emergency service providers who receive critical incident stress management and crisis intervention services. It defines key terms such as "abuse," "child abuse," "crisis intervention services," "critical incident," "critical incident stress management," and "critical incident stress management team" to clarify the scope of these services. The core provision is that individuals providing or receiving these services, including team members, cannot be compelled to testify or reveal information obtained solely through these interventions. This information is considered confidential and cannot be shared with third parties, with two exceptions: disclosure is permitted if it indicates a danger to the individual receiving services or to another person, or if it reveals past child abuse or abuse by a family or household member. This aims to encourage emergency service providers, such as police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical personnel, to seek necessary psychological support after traumatic events without fear of their disclosures being used against them.