ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Phoenix, Arizona
domestic violence
prevention; procedures; protocols
Requires
the Department of Economic Security (DES) to establish written protocols for
screening domestic violence within families, referring families for domestic
violence services and training child welfare, law enforcement and other
professionals and persons who are required by statute to report child abuse.
Services
Resources is a subcommittee of an unofficial Child Protective Services (CPS) ad
hoc committee that was devoted this past interim to studying the overlap
between child welfare and domestic violence.
The subcommittee notes the frequency with which CPS intervenes in households
afflicted by both domestic violence and child maltreatment, as documented by
several national studies.
In order to address the
needs of all family members coping with abuse, the subcommittee recommends that
CPS screen for domestic violence during the initial stage of child welfare
investigation and refer families to local domestic violence services when
applicable. Written protocols will
assist DES in reconciling various statutes relating to CPS and domestic
violence providers when sharing information between CPS, domestic violence
programs and the courts. Furthermore,
by assigning DES the task of developing interagency protocols for appropriate
agencies and organizations to educate professionals who are required by statute
to report child abuse, proponents hope the bill will increase the levels of
awareness and sensitivity to domestic violence issues for those who focus on
child abuse.
The potential impact on the
state general fund is undetermined at this time.
1. Sets a deadline of March 31, 2003, on or before which DES must consult with domestic violence advocates, law enforcement, behavioral health professionals and others and develop procedures for screening for domestic violence within families who have come to the attention of CPS, referring families for available domestic violence services and communicating confidential information.
2. Requires DES to create written protocols for the local training of specified professionals and other people who are required by statute to report child abuse.
3. Requires DES to revise the protocols and procedures as necessary.
4. Provides for a general effective date.
Prepared by Senate Staff
February 15, 2002