2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 42 - Child Safety, Well-being, and Protection Act (§§ 1101 — 1206) › Subchapter II - Guarantee of Rights and Prevention (§§ 1111 — 1127) › § 1115 - Commonwealth Center for the Protection of Minors

The Department shall establish a Commonwealth Center for the Protection of Minors, which shall be attached to the Administration of Families and Children, and shall provide the same with the necessary resources, including integrated communication and information systems and a Central Register of Protection Cases in order to carry out the purposes and duties delegated thereto by this chapter, which shall consist of the following:
(a) Central Register of Protection Cases.— A Central Register shall be established as a component of the Commonwealth Center which shall consist of an integrated information system of all incidents of abuse, institutional abuse, neglect, and institutional neglect. This Central Register shall be organized to allow identification of previous referrals and previous protection cases, the status thereof, and to periodically analyze statistical data and any other information that allows assessment of the effectiveness of service programs.
The Central Register shall contain, but shall not be limited to:
(1) Any information in any written report confirming abuse, institutional abuse, abuse by neglect, and abuse by institutional neglect.
(2) Services provided and accepted.
(3) Rehabilitation treatment plan.
(4) The name, date, and other data regarding any person who requests or receives information from the Central Register, and
(5) any other information that may be useful to achieve the purposes of this chapter.
(b) Hotline for Situations of Abuse, Institutional Abuse, Neglect, and Institutional Neglect.— The Department shall operate a special toll-free communications system attached to the Commonwealth Center for the Protection of Minors, to be known as the “Hotline For Situations of Abuse, Institutional Abuse, Neglect, and Institutional Neglect,” whereby any person shall be able to report situations of child abuse, institutional abuse, neglect, and institutional neglect twenty-four (24) hours a day, seven (7) days a week. All abuse, institutional abuse, neglect, and institutional neglect referrals shall be investigated at any time of the day or night, any day of the week.
(c) Information services through the Hotline.— The Department of the Family shall establish a special toll-free communications system attached to the Commonwealth Center for the Protection of Minors, to be known as the Information Hotline and that shall offer professional counseling to any person or family that requests such service.
(d) Interagency and Interstate Services Office.— The Department of the Family shall establish an Interagency and Interstate Services Office that shall coordinate any services needed by families to achieve appropriate social behavior with agencies in Puerto Rico and the United States. This office shall:
(1) Provide information and coordinate service programs offered by the Department of the Family with agencies outside Puerto Rico.
(2) Collaborate in the identification and evaluation of families being considered for the placement of children.
(3) Collaborate in the evaluation of homes for the placement of children in Puerto Rico, the United States, and its territories.
(4) Coordinate the preparation of social research on custody and the supervision of resource families.
(5) Identify the programs, resources, and services available for families and children in the agencies and municipalities.
History —Dec. 16, 2011, No. 246, § 8, eff. 90 days after Dec. 16, 2011.