Alabama Administrative Code › Title 660 - ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN RESOURCES › Chapter 660-5-34 - PROTECTIVE SERVICES FOR CHILDREN › Section 660-5-34-.12 - Multi-Disciplinary Child Protection Teams

Current through Register Vol. 42, No. 9, June 28, 2024
(1) The Department is required to provide for
			 the development and coordination of multi-disciplinary child protection teams
			 throughout the state to assist and supplement protective services to abused and
			 neglected children.
(2) The
			 guidelines and criteria relating to the operations and functions of
			 multi-disciplinary child protection teams as promulgated by the ad hoc advisory
			 committee and approved by the Governor are as follows:
(a) Membership - A multi-disciplinary child
			 protection team, hereinafter referred to as team, must be composed of
			 representatives from County Departments of Human Resources, and local law
			 enforcement agencies, district attorney's offices, educational systems, and the
			 medical community. In communities where local volunteer groups deal with child
			 protective service needs, those organizations should have a representative on
			 the multi-disciplinary team. Teams may also include other professional
			 representatives from the mental health, legal, juvenile court, child
			 development, and other disciplines as deemed appropriate;
(b) Functions - To the extent that resources
			 are available to each of the various teams, the functions of the teams shall
			 include, but not be limited to the following:
1. Advisory Case Consultation - Gathers
			 expert advice, opinions, or information as an aid in the assessment and
			 treatment planning for abused, neglected children and their families;
2. Information and Referral - Serves to
			 provide case coordination and assistance, including the types and locations of
			 services available to abused children and their family members from public or
			 private agencies in the community, in an effort to provide the fullest range of
			 services without duplication of services;
3. Education - Provides for educational and
			 community awareness campaigns on child abuse and neglect in an effort to enable
			 citizens to more successfully prevent, identify, report, and treat child abuse
			 and neglect victims in the community;
4. Resource Development - Occurs when the
			 team identifies recurring gaps in services and unmet needs of child
			 abuse/neglect victims and their families, and explores methods by which
			 resources can be developed or enhanced to fill these gaps and unmet
			 needs;
5. Treatment - Allows for
			 comprehensive medical and psychological programs for the identification and
			 diagnosis of child abuse/neglect and treatment and rehabilitation programs for
			 abused/neglected children and their families.
(c) Meetings - Teams must meet at least once
			 every two months, unless prior approval has been given in writing by the
			 Commissioner of the Department of Human Resources;
(d) Case Referrals - Any case may be
			 presented by any team member when the case meets Alabama laws defining child
			 abuse/neglect or the case involves children who are at risk of serious harm and
			 are, therefore, in need of child protective services;
(e) Confidentiality - Confidentiality of
			 family information must be ensured pursuant to state law and each team member
			 must sign an agreement of confidentiality; and
(f) Individual Team Plan - The directors of
			 each County Department of Human Resources, or their designee, shall submit an
			 operational plan to the Commissioner of the Department of Human Resources
			 within 90 days after adoption of these guidelines. This plan shall include
			 functions of the teams; membership; and provisions for referrals, case load,
			 team standards, record keeping, membership selection and retention, follow-up
			 reporting, meeting location, scheduling, coordination, and other provisions as
			 needed. Likewise, any revisions to the plan must be submitted to the
			 Commissioner.