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subsection (d), and any other relevant in-
formation related to such fatalities;’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(d) UNIFORM STANDARDS FOR TRACKING AND RE-
PORTING OF CHILD FATALITIES RESULTING FROM MAL-
TREATMENT.— 
‘‘(1) REGULATIONS REQUIRED.—Not later than 
24 months after the date of the enactment of the 
Stronger Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment 
Act, the Secretary shall develop and issue final regu-
lations establishing uniform standards for the track-
ing and reporting of child fatalities and near-fatali-
ties resulting from maltreatment. As a condition on 
eligibility for receipt of funds under section 106, the 
standards established under this paragraph shall be 
used by States for the tracking and reporting of 
such fatalities under subsection (d) of such section. 
‘‘(2) MAINTENANCE OF STATE LAW.—Notwith-
standing the uniform standards developed under 
paragraph (1), a State that defines or describes such 
fatalities for any purpose other than tracking and 
reporting under this subsection may continue to use 
that definition or description for such purpose. 
‘‘(3) NEGOTIATED
RULEMAKING.—In devel-
oping regulations under paragraph (1), the Sec-
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retary shall submit such regulations to a negotiated 
rulemaking process, which shall include the partici-
pants described in paragraph (4). 
‘‘(4) PARTICIPANTS DESCRIBED.—The partici-
pants described in this paragraph are— 
‘‘(A) State and county officials responsible 
for administering the State plans under this 
Act and parts B and E of title IV of the Social 
Security Act (42 U.S.C. 621 et seq., 670 et 
seq.); 
‘‘(B) child welfare professionals with field 
experience; 
‘‘(C) child welfare researchers; 
‘‘(D) domestic violence researchers; 
‘‘(E) domestic violence professionals; 
‘‘(F) child development professionals; 
‘‘(G) mental health professionals; 
‘‘(H) pediatric emergency medicine physi-
cians; 
‘‘(I) child abuse pediatricians, as certified 
by the American Board of Pediatrics, who spe-
cialize in treating victims of child abuse; 
‘‘(J) forensic pathologists; 
‘‘(K) public health administrators; 
‘‘(L) public health researchers; 
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‘‘(M) law enforcement; 
‘‘(N) family court judges; 
‘‘(O) prosecutors; 
‘‘(P) medical examiners and coroners; 
‘‘(Q) a representative from the National 
Center for Fatality Review and Prevention; and 
‘‘(R) such other individuals and entities as 
the Secretary determines to be appropriate.’’. 
SEC. 104. RESEARCH AND ASSISTANCE ACTIVITIES. 
Section 104 of the Child Abuse Prevention and 
Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5105) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) by amending paragraph (1) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(1) TOPICS.—The Secretary shall, in consulta-
tion with other Federal agencies and recognized ex-
perts in the field, carry out a continuing inter-
disciplinary program of research, including longitu-
dinal research, that is designed to provide informa-
tion needed to improve primary prevention of child 
abuse and neglect, better protect children from child 
abuse or neglect, and improve the well-being of vic-
tims of child abuse or neglect, with at least a portion 
of such research being field initiated. Such research 
program may focus on— 
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‘‘(A) disseminating evidence-based treat-
ment directed to individuals and families experi-
encing trauma due to child abuse and neglect, 
including efforts to improve the scalability of 
the treatments and programs being researched; 
‘‘(B) developing a set of evidence-based ap-
proaches to support child and family well-being 
and developing ways to identify, relieve, and 
mitigate stressors affecting families in rural, 
urban, and suburban communities; 
‘‘(C) establishing methods to promote ra-
cial equity in the child welfare system, including 
a focus on how neglect is defined, how services 
are provided, and the unique impact on Native 
American, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian 
communities; 
‘‘(D) improving service delivery or out-
comes for child welfare service agencies engaged 
with families experiencing domestic violence, 
substance use disorder, or other complex needs; 
‘‘(E) the extent to which the number of 
unsubstantiated, unfounded, and false reported 
cases of child abuse or neglect have contributed 
to the inability of a State to respond effectively 
to serious cases of child abuse or neglect; 
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‘‘(F) the extent to which the lack of ade-
quate resources and the lack of adequate pro-
fessional development of individuals required by 
law to report suspected cases of child abuse and 
neglect have contributed to the inability of a 
State to respond effectively to serious cases of 
child abuse and neglect; 
‘‘(G) the extent to which unsubstantiated 
reports return as more serious cases of child 
abuse or neglect; 
‘‘(H) the incidence and outcomes of child 
abuse and neglect allegations reported within 
the context of divorce, custody, or other family 
court proceedings, and the interaction between 
family courts and the child protective services 
system; 
‘‘(I) the information on the national inci-
dence of child abuse and neglect specified in 
clauses (i) through (xi) of subparagraph (J); 
and 
‘‘(J) the national incidence of child abuse 
and neglect, including— 
‘‘(i) the extent to which incidents of 
child abuse and neglect are increasing or 
decreasing in number and severity; 
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‘‘(ii) the incidence of substantiated 
and unsubstantiated reported child abuse 
and neglect cases; 
‘‘(iii) the number of substantiated 
cases that result in a judicial finding of 
child abuse or neglect or related criminal 
court convictions; 
‘‘(iv) the extent to which the number 
of unsubstantiated, unfounded and false 
reported cases of child abuse or neglect 
have contributed to the inability of a State 
to respond effectively to serious cases of 
child abuse or neglect; 
‘‘(v) the extent to which the lack of 
adequate resources and the lack of ade-
quate education of individuals required by 
law to report suspected cases of child 
abuse and neglect have contributed to the 
inability of a State to respond effectively to 
serious cases of child abuse and neglect; 
‘‘(vi) the number of unsubstantiated, 
false, or unfounded reports that have re-
sulted in a child being placed in substitute 
care, and the duration of such placement; 
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‘‘(vii) the extent to which unsubstan-
tiated reports return as more serious cases 
of child abuse or neglect; 
‘‘(viii) the incidence and prevalence of 
physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and 
physical and emotional neglect in sub-
stitute care; 
‘‘(ix) the incidence and prevalence of 
child maltreatment by a wide array of de-
mographic characteristics such as age, sex, 
race, family structure, household relation-
ship (including the living arrangement of 
the resident parent and family size), school 
enrollment and education attainment, dis-
ability, grandparents as caregivers, labor 
force status, work status in previous year, 
and income in previous year; 
‘‘(x) the extent to which reports of 
suspected or known instances of child 
abuse or neglect involving a potential com-
bination of jurisdictions, such as intra-
state, interstate, Federal-State, and State- 
Tribal, are being screened out solely on the 
basis of the cross-jurisdictional complica-
tions; and 
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‘‘(xi) the incidence and outcomes of 
child abuse and neglect allegations re-
ported within the context of divorce, cus-
tody, or other family court proceedings, 
and the interaction between family courts 
and the child protective services system.’’; 
(B) in paragraph (2), by striking ‘‘para-
graph 
(1)(O)’’ 
and 
inserting 
‘‘paragraph 
(1)(J)’’; 
(C) by amending paragraph (3) to read as 
follows: 
‘‘(3) REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 4 years 
after the date of the enactment of the Stronger 
Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act, the 
Secretary shall prepare and submit to the Com-
mittee on Education and Labor of the House of 
Representatives and the Committee on Health, 
Education, Labor and Pensions of the Senate a 
report that contains the results of the research 
conducted under paragraph (2). 
‘‘(B) NATIONAL
INCIDENCE.—The Sec-
retary shall ensure that research conducted, 
and data collected, under paragraph (1)(J) are 
reported in a way that will allow longitudinal 
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comparisons as well as comparisons to the na-
tional incidence studies conducted under this 
title.’’; and 
(D) by striking the second paragraph (4); 
(2) in subsection (b), by amending paragraph 
(2) to read as follows: 
‘‘(2) AREAS OF EMPHASIS.—Such technical as-
sistance— 
‘‘(A) shall focus on— 
‘‘(i) implementing strategies that can 
leverage existing community-based and 
State funded resources to prevent child 
abuse and neglect and providing education 
for individuals involved in prevention ac-
tivities; 
‘‘(ii) reducing racial bias in child wel-
fare systems, including how such systems 
interact with health, law enforcement, and 
education systems; 
‘‘(iii) promoting best practices for 
families experiencing domestic violence, 
substance use disorder, or other complex 
needs; and 
‘‘(iv) providing professional develop-
ment and other technical assistance to 
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child welfare agencies to improve the un-
derstanding of and to help address the ef-
fects of trauma and adverse childhood ex-
periences in parents and children in con-
tact with the child welfare system; and 
‘‘(B) may include the identification of— 
‘‘(i) various methods and procedures 
for the investigation, assessment, and pros-
ecution of child physical and sexual abuse 
cases; 
‘‘(ii) ways to mitigate psychological 
trauma to the child victim; 
‘‘(iii) effective programs carried out 
by the States under titles I and II; and 
‘‘(iv) effective approaches being uti-
lized to link child protective service agen-
cies with health care, mental health care, 
and developmental services and early inter-
vention to improve forensic diagnosis and 
health evaluations, and barriers and short-
ages to such linkages.’’; 
(3) in subsection (c), by striking paragraph (3); 
and 
(4) by striking subsection (e). 
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SEC. 105. GRANTS TO STATES, INDIAN TRIBES OR TRIBAL 
ORGANIZATIONS, AND PUBLIC OR PRIVATE 
AGENCIES AND ORGANIZATIONS. 
Section 105 of the Child Abuse Prevention and 
Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106) is amended— 
(1) in subsection (a)— 
(A) by redesignating paragraph (7) as 
paragraph (11); 
(B) by striking paragraphs (1) through (6) 
and inserting the following: 
‘‘(1) PREVENTION
SERVICES.—The Secretary 
may award grants under this subsection to entities 
to establish or expand prevention services that re-
duce incidences of child maltreatment and strength-
en families. 
‘‘(2) TRAUMATIC STRESS.—The Secretary may 
award grants under this subsection to entities to ad-
dress instances of traumatic stress in families due to 
child abuse and neglect, especially for families with 
complex needs or families that exhibit high levels of 
adverse childhood experiences. 
‘‘(3) PROMOTING
A
HIGH-QUALITY
WORK-
FORCE.—The Secretary may award grants under 
this subsection to entities to carry out programs or 
strategies that promote a high-quality workforce in 
the child welfare system through–— 
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‘‘(A) improvements to recruitment, sup-
port, or retention efforts; or 
‘‘(B) education for professionals and para-
professionals in the prevention, identification, 
and treatment of child abuse and neglect. 
‘‘(4) IMPROVING
COORDINATION.—The Sec-
retary may award grants under this subsection to 
entities to carry out activities to improve intrastate 
coordination within the child welfare system. Such 
activities may include— 
‘‘(A) aligning information technology sys-
tems; 
‘‘(B) improving information sharing re-
garding child and family referrals; or 
‘‘(C) creating collaborative voluntary part-
nerships among public and private agencies, the 
State’s child protective services, local social 
service agencies, community-based family sup-
port programs, State and local legal agencies, 
developmental disability agencies, substance use 
disorder treatment providers, health care pro-
viders and agencies, domestic violence preven-
tion programs, mental health services, schools 
and early learning providers, religious entities, 
and other community-based programs. 
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‘‘(5) PRIMARY
PREVENTION.—The Secretary 
may award grants under this subsection to entities 
to carry out or expand primary prevention programs 
or strategies that address family or community pro-
tective factors. 
‘‘(6) NEGLECT
DUE
TO
ECONOMIC
INSECU-
RITY.—The Secretary may award grants under this 
subsection to entities to carry out programs or strat-
egies that reduce findings of child neglect due in full 
or in part to family economic insecurity. 
‘‘(7) EDUCATION
OF
MANDATORY
REPORT-
ERS.—The Secretary may award grants under this 
subsection to entities for projects that involve re-
search-based strategies for innovative education of 
mandated child abuse and neglect reporters, and for 
victims to understand mandatory reporting. 
‘‘(8) SENTINEL INJURIES.—The Secretary may 
award grants under this subsection to entities to 
identify and test effective practices to improve early 
detection and management of injuries indicative of 
potential abuse in infants to prevent future cases of 
child abuse and related fatalities. 
‘‘(9) INNOVATIVE
PARTNERSHIPS.—The Sec-
retary may award grants under this subsection to 
entities to carry out innovative programs or strate-
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gies to coordinate the delivery of services to help re-
duce child abuse and neglect via partnerships among 
health, mental health, education (including early 
learning and care programs as appropriate), and 
child welfare agencies and providers. 
‘‘(10) REDUCING CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT 
DUE TO THE SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER OF A PAR-
ENT
OR
CAREGIVER.—The Secretary may award 
grants under this subsection to entities to carry out 
activities to reduce child abuse and neglect due to 
the substance use disorder of a parent or care-
giver.’’; and 
(C) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(12) NATIONAL CHILD ABUSE HOTLINE.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary may 
award a grant under this subsection to a non-
profit entity to provide for the ongoing oper-
ation of a 24-hour, national, toll-free telephone 
hotline to provide information and assistance to 
youth victims of child abuse or neglect, parents, 
caregivers, mandated reporters, and other con-
cerned community members, including through 
alternative modalities for communications (such 
as texting or chat services) with such victims 
and other information seekers. 
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‘‘(B) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants de-
scribed in this paragraph, the Secretary shall 
give priority to applicants with experience in 
operating a hotline that provides assistance to 
victims of child abuse, parents, caregivers, and 
mandated reporters. 
‘‘(C) APPLICATION.—To be eligible to re-
ceive a grant described in this paragraph, a 
nonprofit entity shall submit an application to 
the Secretary that shall— 
‘‘(i) contain such assurances and in-
formation, be in such form, and be sub-
mitted in such manner, as the Secretary 
shall prescribe; 
‘‘(ii) include a complete description of 
the entity’s plan for the operation of a na-
tional child abuse hotline, including de-
scriptions of— 
‘‘(I) the professional development 
program for hotline personnel, includ-
ing technology professional develop-
ment to ensure that all persons affili-
ated with the hotline are able to effec-
tively operate any technological sys-
tems used by the hotline; 
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‘‘(II) the qualifications for hot-
line personnel; 
‘‘(III) the methods for the cre-
ation, maintenance, and updating of a 
comprehensive list of prevention and 
treatment service providers; 
‘‘(IV) a plan for publicizing the 
availability of the hotline throughout 
the United States; 
‘‘(V) a plan for providing service 
to non-English speaking callers, in-
cluding service through hotline per-
sonnel who have non-English language 
capability; 
‘‘(VI) a plan for facilitating ac-
cess to the hotline and alternative mo-
dality services by persons with hearing 
impairments and disabilities; 
‘‘(VII) a plan for providing crisis 
counseling, general assistance, and re-
ferrals to youth victims of child abuse; 
and 
‘‘(VIII) a plan to offer alternative 
services to calling, such as texting or 
live chat; 
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‘‘(iii) demonstrate that the entity has 
the capacity and the expertise to maintain 
a child abuse hotline and a comprehensive 
list of service providers; 
‘‘(iv) demonstrate the ability to pro-
vide information and referrals for contacts, 
directly connect contacts to service pro-
viders, and employ crisis interventions; 
‘‘(v) demonstrate that the entity has a 
commitment to providing services to indi-
viduals in need; and 
‘‘(vi) demonstrate that the entity com-
plies with State privacy laws and has es-
tablished quality assurance practices.’’; and 
(2) by striking subsections (b) and (c) and in-
serting the following: 
‘‘(b) GOALS
AND PERFORMANCE.—The Secretary 
shall ensure that each entity receiving a grant under this 
section— 
‘‘(1) establishes quantifiable goals for the out-
come of the project funded with the grant; and 
‘‘(2) adequately measures the performance of 
the project relative to such goals. 
‘‘(c) PERFORMANCE REPORT REQUIRED.— 
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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Each entity that receives a 
grant under this section shall submit to the Sec-
retary a performance report that includes— 
‘‘(A) an evaluation of the effectiveness of 
the project funded with the grant relative to the 
goals established for such project under sub-
section (b)(1); and 
‘‘(B) data supporting such evaluation. 
‘‘(2) SUBMISSION.—The report under para-
graph (1) shall be submitted to the Secretary at 
such time, in such manner, and containing such in-
formation as the Secretary may require. 
‘‘(d) CONTINUING GRANTS.—The Secretary may only 
award a continuing grant to an entity under this section 
if such entity submits a performance report required 
under subsection (c) that demonstrates effectiveness of the 
project funded.’’. 
SEC. 106. GRANTS TO STATES FOR CHILD ABUSE OR NE-
GLECT PREVENTION AND TREATMENT PRO-
GRAMS. 
(a) DEVELOPMENT AND OPERATION GRANTS.—Sub-
section (a) of section 106 of the Child Abuse Prevention 
and Treatment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106a) is amended to read 
as follows: 
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‘‘(a) DEVELOPMENT AND OPERATION GRANTS.—The 
Secretary shall make grants to the States, from allotments 
under subsection (f) for each State that applies for a grant 
under this section, for purposes of assisting the States in 
improving and implementing a child protective services 
system that is family-centered, integrates community serv-
ices, and is capable of providing rapid response to high- 
risk cases, by carrying out the following: 
‘‘(1) Conducting the intake, assessment, screen-
ing, and investigation of reports of child abuse or 
neglect. 
‘‘(2) Ensuring that reports concerning a child’s 
living arrangements or subsistence needs are ad-
dressed through services or benefits and that no 
child is separated from such child’s parent for rea-
sons of poverty. 
‘‘(3) Creating and improving the use of multi-
disciplinary teams and interagency, intra-agency, 
interstate, and intrastate protocols to enhance fair 
investigations; and improving legal preparation and 
representation. 
‘‘(4) Complying with the assurances in section 
106(b)(2). 
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‘‘(5) Establishing State and local networks of 
child and family service providers that support child 
and family well-being, which shall— 
‘‘(A) include child protective services, as 
well as agencies and service providers, that ad-
dress family-strengthening, parenting skills, 
child development, early childhood care and 
learning, child advocacy, public health, mental 
health, substance use disorder treatment, do-
mestic violence, developmental disabilities, hous-
ing, juvenile justice, elementary and secondary 
education, and child placement; and 
‘‘(B) address instances of child abuse and 
neglect by incorporating evaluations that assess 
the development of a child, including language 
and communication, cognitive, physical, and so-
cial and emotional development, the need for 
mental health services, including trauma-related 
services, trauma-informed care, and parental 
needs. 
‘‘(6) Ensuring child protective services is ad-
dressing the safety of children and responding to 
parent and family needs, which shall include— 
‘‘(A) family-oriented efforts that emphasize 
case assessment and follow up casework focused 
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on child safety and child and parent well-being, 
which may include— 
‘‘(i) ensuring parents and children un-
dergo physical and mental health assess-
ments, as appropriate, and ongoing devel-
opmental monitoring; 
‘‘(ii) multidisciplinary approaches to 
assessing family needs and connecting the 
family with services, including prevention 
services under section 471 of the Social Se-
curity Act (42 U.S.C. 671); 
‘‘(iii) organizing a treatment team 
with the goal of preventing child abuse and 
neglect, and improving parent and child 
well-being; 
‘‘(iv) case monitoring that supports 
child well-being; and 
‘‘(v) differential response efforts; and 
‘‘(B) establishing and maintaining a rapid 
response system that responds promptly to all 
reports of child abuse or neglect, with special 
attention to cases involving children under 3 
years of age. 
‘‘(7) Educating caseworkers, community service 
providers, attorneys, health care professionals, par-
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ents, and others engaged in the prevention, interven-
tion, and treatment of child abuse and neglect, 
which shall include education on— 
‘‘(A) practices that help ensure child safety 
and well-being; 
‘‘(B) approaches to family-oriented preven-
tion, intervention, and treatment of child abuse 
and neglect; 
‘‘(C) early childhood, child, and adolescent 
development, and the impact of adverse child-
hood experiences on such development; 
‘‘(D) the relationship between child abuse 
and domestic violence, and support for non- 
abusing parents; 
‘‘(E) strategies to work with families im-
pacted by substance use disorder and mental 
health issues (and, when appropriate, be coordi-
nated with prevention efforts funded under sec-
tion 471 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 
671)); 
‘‘(F) effective use of multiple services to 
address family and child needs, including needs 
resulting from trauma; 
‘‘(G) efforts to improve family and child 
well-being; 
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‘‘(H) support for child welfare workers af-
fected by secondary trauma; and 
‘‘(I) supporting families and caregivers to 
combat 
and 
prevent 
unsubstantiated, 
un-
founded, or false reports, including through 
education on the rights of families and care-
givers. 
‘‘(8) Creating or improving data systems that 
allow for— 
‘‘(A) the identification of cases requiring 
prompt responses; 
‘‘(B) real-time case monitoring that tracks 
assessments, service referrals, follow-up, case 
reviews, and progress toward parent and child 
goals; and 
‘‘(C) sharing basic identifying data with 
law enforcement, as necessary. 
‘‘(9) Improving the general child protective sys-
tem by developing, improving, and implementing 
safety assessment tools, providing that such tools, 
protocols, and systems shall not authorize the sepa-
ration of any child from the legal parent or guardian 
of such child solely on the basis of poverty, or with-
out a judicial order, except in the case of imminent 
harm.’’. 
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(b) ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS.— 
(1) STATE
PLAN.—Paragraph (1) of section 
106(b) of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treat-
ment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106a(b)) is amended to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(1) STATE PLAN.— 
‘‘(A) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible to re-
ceive a grant under this section, a State shall 
submit to the Secretary a State plan that— 
‘‘(i) specifies how the grant will be 
used, and the State’s strategic plan, to 
treat child abuse and neglect and enhance 
community-based, prevention-centered ap-
proaches that attempt to prevent child 
abuse and neglect while strengthening and 
supporting families whenever possible; and 
‘‘(ii) meets the requirements of this 
subsection. 
‘‘(B) 
COORDINATION
AND
CONSULTA-
TION.— 
‘‘(i) COORDINATION.—Each State, to 
the maximum extent practicable, shall co-
ordinate its State plan under this sub-
section with its State plan under part B of 
title IV of the Social Security Act (42 
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U.S.C. 621 et seq.) relating to child and 
family services and, in States electing to 
provide services under part E of title IV of 
the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 670 et 
seq.) relating to foster care prevention 
services, its State plan under such part E. 
‘‘(ii) CONSULTATION.—In developing 
a State plan under this subsection, a State 
shall consult with community-based pre-
vention and service agencies, parents and 
families affected by child abuse or neglect 
in the State, law enforcement, family court 
judges, prosecutors who handle criminal 
child abuse cases, and medical profes-
sionals engaged in the treatment of child 
abuse and neglect. 
‘‘(C) DURATION
AND
SUBMISSION
OF 
PLAN.—Each State plan shall— 
‘‘(i) be submitted not less than every 
5 years; and 
‘‘(ii) if necessary, revised by the State 
to inform the Secretary of any substantive 
changes, including— 
‘‘(I) any changes to State law or 
regulations, relating to the prevention 
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of child abuse and neglect that may 
affect the eligibility of the State under 
this section; or 
‘‘(II) any changes in the State’s 
activities, 
strategies, 
or 
programs 
under this section.’’. 
(2) CONTENTS.—Paragraph (2) of section 
106(b) of the Child Abuse Prevention and Treat-
ment Act (42 U.S.C. 5106a(b)) is amended to read 
as follows: 
‘‘(2) CONTENTS.—A State plan submitted 
under paragraph (1) shall contain a description of 
the activities that the State will carry out using 
amounts received under the grant to achieve the ob-
jectives of this title, including— 
‘‘(A) an assurance in the form of a certifi-
cation by the Governor of the State that the 
State has in effect and is enforcing a State law, 
or has in effect and is operating a statewide 
program, relating to child abuse and neglect 
that includes— 
‘‘(i) provisions or procedures for an 
individual to report known and suspected 
instances of child abuse and neglect, in-
cluding a State law for mandatory report-
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ing by individuals required to report such 
instances; 
‘‘(ii) procedures for the immediate 
screening, risk and safety assessment, and 
prompt investigation of such reports of al-
leged abuse and neglect in order to ensure 
the well-being and safety of children; 
‘‘(iii) procedures for immediate steps 
to be taken to ensure and protect the safe-
ty of a victim of child abuse or neglect and 
of any other child under the same care who 
may also be in danger of child abuse or ne-
glect and ensuring their placement in a 
safe environment; 
‘‘(iv) methods to preserve the con-
fidentiality of all records in order to pro-
tect the rights of the child and of the 
child’s parents or guardians, including re-
quirements ensuring that reports and 
records made and maintained pursuant to 
the purposes of this Act shall only be made 
available to— 
‘‘(I) individuals who are the sub-
ject of the report; 
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‘‘(II) Federal, State, or local gov-
ernment entities, or any agent of such 
entities, as described in clause (xi) of 
this subparagraph; 
‘‘(III) child abuse citizen review 
panels; 
‘‘(IV) child fatality review panels; 
‘‘(V) a grand jury or court, upon 
a finding that information in the 
record is necessary for the determina-
tion of an issue before the court or 
grand jury; and 
‘‘(VI) other entities or classes of 
individuals statutorily authorized by 
the State to receive such information 
pursuant to a legitimate State pur-
pose; 
‘‘(v) provisions and procedures requir-
ing that in every case involving a victim of 
child abuse or neglect which results in a 
judicial proceeding, a guardian ad litem, 
who has received education appropriate to 
the role, including education in early child-
hood, child, and adolescent development, 
and domestic violence, and who may be an 
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attorney or a court appointed special advo-
cate who has received education appro-
priate to that role (or both), shall be ap-
pointed to represent the child (who, for 
purposes of this section, shall have any age 
limit elected by the State pursuant to sec-
tion 475(8)(B)(iii) of the Social Security 
Act (42 U.S.C. 675(8)(B)(iii)) in such pro-
ceedings— 
‘‘(I) to obtain first-hand, a clear 
understanding of the situation and 
needs of such child; and 
‘‘(II) to make recommendations 
to the court concerning the best inter-
ests of such child; 
‘‘(vi) the establishment of citizen re-
view panels in accordance with subsection 
(c); 
‘‘(vii) provisions and procedures to re-
quire that a representative of the child pro-
tective services agency shall, at the initial 
time of contact with the individual subject 
to a child abuse or neglect investigation, 
advise the individual of the complaints or 
allegations made against the individual, in 
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a manner that is consistent with laws pro-
tecting the rights of the informant; 
‘‘(viii) provisions, procedures, and 
mechanisms— 
‘‘(I) for the expedited termi-
nation of parental rights in the case 
of any infant determined to be aban-
doned under State law; and 
‘‘(II) by which individuals who 
disagree with an official finding of 
child abuse or neglect can appeal such 
finding; 
‘‘(ix) provisions addressing the profes-
sional development of representatives of 
the child protective services system regard-
ing the legal duties of the representatives, 
which may consist of various methods of 
informing such representatives of such du-
ties (including providing such education in 
different languages if necessary), in order 
to protect the legal rights and safety of 
children and their parents and caregivers 
from the initial time of contact during in-
vestigation through treatment; 
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‘‘(x) provisions for immunity from 
civil or criminal liability under State and 
local laws and regulations for individuals 
making good faith reports of suspected or 
known instances of child abuse or neglect, 
or who otherwise provide information or 
assistance, including medical evaluations or 
consultations, in connection with a report, 
investigation, or legal intervention pursu-
ant to a good faith report of child abuse or 
neglect; 
‘‘(xi) provisions to require the State to 
disclose confidential information to any 
Federal, State, or local government entity, 
or any agent of such entity, that has a 
need for such information in order to carry 
out its responsibilities under law to protect 
children from child abuse and neglect; 
‘‘(xii) provisions requiring, and proce-
dures in place that facilitate the prompt 
expungement of any records that are ac-
cessible to the general public or are used 
for purposes of employment or other back-
ground checks in cases determined to be 
unsubstantiated or false, except that noth-
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ing in this section shall prevent State child 
protective services agencies from keeping 
information on unsubstantiated reports in 
their casework files to assist in future risk 
and safety assessment; 
‘‘(xiii) provisions and procedures for 
requiring 
criminal 
background 
record 
checks that meet the requirements of sec-
tion 471(a)(20) of the Social Security Act 
(42 U.S.C. 671(a)(20)) for prospective fos-
ter and adoptive parents and other adult 
relatives and non-relatives residing in the 
household; 
‘‘(xiv) provisions for systems of tech-
nology that support the State child protec-
tive services system and track reports of 
child abuse and neglect from intake 
through final disposition; 
‘‘(xv) provisions and procedures re-
quiring identification and assessment of all 
reports involving children known or sus-
pected to be victims of sex trafficking (as 
defined in section 103(12) of the Traf-
ficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 
U.S.C. 7102 (12)); 
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‘‘(xvi) provisions, procedures, and 
mechanisms that assure that the State 
does not require reunification of a sur-
viving child with a parent who has been 
found by a court of competent jurisdic-
tion— 
‘‘(I) to have committed murder 
(which would have been an offense 
under section 1111(a) of title 18, 
United States Code, if the offense had 
occurred in the special maritime or 
territorial jurisdiction of the United 
States) of another child of such par-
ent; 
‘‘(II) to have committed vol-
untary manslaughter (which would 
have been an offense under section 
1112(a) of title 18, United States 
Code, if the offense had occurred in 
the special maritime or territorial ju-
risdiction of the United States) of an-
other child of such parent; 
‘‘(III) to have aided or abetted, 
attempted, conspired, or solicited to 
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commit such murder or voluntary 
manslaughter; 
‘‘(IV) to have committed a felony 
assault that results in the serious bod-
ily injury to the surviving child or an-
other child of such parent; 
‘‘(V) to have committed sexual 
abuse against the surviving child or 
another child of such parent; or 
‘‘(VI) to be required to register 
with a sex offender registry under sec-
tion 113(a) of the Adam Walsh Child 
Protection and Safety Act of 2006 
(42 U.S.C. 16913(a)); and 
‘‘(xvii) an assurance that, upon the 
implementation by the State of the provi-
sions, procedures, and mechanisms under 
clause (xvi), conviction of any one of the 
felonies listed in clause (xvi) constitute 
grounds under State law for the termi-
nation of parental rights of the convicted 
parent as to the surviving children (al-
though 
case-by-case 
determinations 
of 
whether or not to seek termination of pa-
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rental rights shall be within the sole discre-
tion of the State); 
‘‘(B) an assurance that the State has in 
place procedures for responding to the reporting 
of medical neglect (including instances of with-
holding of medically indicated treatment from 
infants with disabilities who have life-threat-
ening conditions), procedures or programs, or 
both (within the State child protective services 
system), to provide for— 
‘‘(i) coordination and consultation 
with individuals designated by and within 
appropriate health-care facilities; 
‘‘(ii) prompt notification by individ-
uals designated by and within appropriate 
health-care facilities of cases of suspected 
medical neglect (including instances of 
withholding of medically indicated treat-
ment from infants with disabilities who 
have life-threatening conditions); and 
‘‘(iii) authority, under State law, for 
the State child protective services system 
to pursue any legal remedies, including the 
authority to initiate legal proceedings in a 
court of competent jurisdiction, as may be 
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necessary to prevent the withholding of 
medically indicated treatment from infants 
with disabilities who have life-threatening 
conditions; 
‘‘(C) an assurance or certification that pro-
grams and education conducted under this title 
address the unique needs of unaccompanied 
homeless youth, including access to enrollment 
and support services and that such youth are 
eligible for under parts B and E of title IV of 
the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 621 et seq., 
670 et seq.) and meet the requirements of the 
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act (42 
U.S.C. 11301 et seq.); 
‘‘(D) a description of— 
‘‘(i) policies and procedures (including 
appropriate referrals to child welfare serv-
ice systems and for other appropriate serv-
ices (including home visiting services and 
mutual support and parent partner pro-
grams) determined by a family assessment) 
to address the needs of infants born with 
and identified as being affected by sub-
stance use or withdrawal symptoms result-
ing from prenatal drug exposure, or a 
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