2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE EIGHT - Public Welfare and Charitable Institutions (§§ 1 — 1422) › Chapter 23B - Comprehensive Child Wellbeing and Protection Act (§§ 444 — 450m) › Subchapter I - General Provisions (§§ 444 — 444j) › § 444d - Commonwealth Center for the Protection of Minors

The Department shall establish a Commonwealth Center for the Protection of Minors, attached to the Families and Children Administration, and shall provide it with the necessary resources, including integrated communication and information systems, and a Central Registry of Protection Cases, to carry out the purposes and functions delegated to it in this chapter, which are the following:
(a) Central Registry of Protection Cases.— A central registry 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 registry shall be organized to allow identification of prior referrals and prior protection cases, the status thereof, and to analyze periodically the statistical data and any other information that may allow assessment of the effectiveness of the service programs.
The central registry shall contain, but shall not be limited to:
(1) All information in any written report confirming abuse, institutional abuse, neglect, and institutional neglect;
(2) services offered and accepted;
(3) rehabilitation treatment plan;
(4) the name, date, and other data regarding any person who requests or receives information from the central registry, and
(5) any other information that may be useful to achieve the purposes of this chapter.
(b) Abuse 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 abuse, institutional abuse, neglect, and institutional neglect against minors, at any time of the day or night, any day of the week. All referrals of abuse, institutional abuse, neglect, and institutional neglect shall be investigated at any time of the day or night, any day of the week.
(c) Orientation Hotline Services.— 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 “Orientation Hotline” and will offer professional orientation to any person or family who requests the service.
(d) Interagency and Interstate Services Office.— The Department of the Family shall establish an Interagency and Interstate Services Office that shall coordinate services needed by families to achieve an adequate social conduct with agencies in Puerto Rico and United States. This office shall provide:
(1) Orientation and coordination with agencies outside of Puerto Rico regarding the service programs provided by the Department of the Family.
(2) Collaboration in locating and evaluating families considered for the placement of minors.
(3) Collaboration in the evaluation of homes for the placement of minors in Puerto Rico, the United States, and its territories.
(4) Coordination of preparation of social research on custody and for supervision of resource families.
(5) Identification of available programs, resources and services to the family and to minors at the agencies and municipalities.
History —Aug. 1, 2003, No. 177, § 7; Sept. 16, 2004, No. 354, § 2.