Iowa Administrative Code › Agency 441 - Human Services Department › Title XV - Individual and Family Support and Protective Services › Chapter 175 - Abuse of Children › Rule 441-175.43 - Child Protection Services Citizen Review Panels

Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 3, July 24, 2024
The purposes of the child protection services citizen review
				  panels established in this rule are to comply with requirements set forth by
				  the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act and to take advantage of this
				  process to identify strengths and weaknesses of the child protective service
				  system as a whole, including community-based services and agencies. The
				  specific objectives are to clarify expectations for child protective services
				  with current policy; to review consistency of practice with current policy; to
				  analyze trends and recommend policy to address them; and to provide feedback on
				  what is or is not working, and why, and to suggest corrective action if
				  needed.
(1)
Establishment of
				panels.
The department shall establish at least three panels, with at
				least one panel each at the state level, multicounty level, and county level.
				The department may designate as panels one or more existing entities
				established under state or federal law, such as multidisciplinary teams, if the
				entities have the capacity to satisfy the requirements of the function of a
				citizen review panel set forth in the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act
				and the department ensures that the entities will satisfy the requirements. The
				department shall establish procedures to be used for selecting the
				panels.
(2)
Membership of
				panels.
Each panel established shall be composed of a
				multidisciplinary team of volunteer members who are broadly representative of
				the community in which the panel is established, including members who possess
				knowledge and skills related to the diagnosis, assessments, and disposition of
				child abuse cases, and who have expertise in the prevention and treatment of
				child abuse. The membership of each panel shall include professionals
				practicing in the disciplines of medicine, nursing, public health, substance
				abuse, domestic violence, mental health, social work, child development,
				education, law, juvenile probation, law enforcement; or representatives from
				organizations that advocate for the protection of children. The panel shall
				function under the leadership of a chairperson and vice-chairperson who are
				elected annually by the membership. Members shall enter into a contract with
				the department.
(3)
Meetings.
Each panel established pursuant to this rule shall
				meet not less than once every three months.
(4)
Functions.
Each panel
				established pursuant to this rule shall:
a.
				Evaluate the extent to which the department effectively discharges the child
				protection responsibilities in accordance with: the state plan and the child
				protection standards under subsection (b) of the Child Abuse Prevention and
				Treatment Act of 1996; the child protection duties of the department set forth
				in Iowa Code chapters 232 and 235A; and any other criteria that the panel
				considers important to ensure the protection of children, including:
(1) A review of the extent to which the child
				protective services system is coordinated with the foster care and adoption
				programs established under Part E of Title IV of the Social Security Act ( 42
				USCS 670 et seq.); and
(2) A review
				of child fatalities and near fatalities.