S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   10183
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                                May 5, 2022
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Lunsford) --
   (at  request  of  the  Office of Children and Family Services) -- read
   once and referred to the Committee on Children and Families
 
 AN ACT to amend the social services law,  in  relation  to  including  a
   child  abuse  medical  specialist on the child abuse multidisciplinary
   team

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Subdivision 6 of section 423 of the social services law, as
 amended  by  chapter  574  of  the  laws  of 2008, is amended to read as
 follows:
   6. A social services district may establish a multidisciplinary inves-
 tigative team or teams and may establish or work  as  part  of  a  child
 advocacy  center  established  pursuant  to section four hundred twenty-
 three-a of this title, at a local or regional level, for the purpose  of
 investigating  reports  of  suspected  child  abuse or maltreatment. The
 social services district shall have discretion with regard to the  cate-
 gory or categories of suspected child abuse or maltreatment such team or
 teams  may  investigate, provided, however, the social services district
 shall place particular emphasis on cases involving the abuse of a  child
 as  described  in  paragraph  (i),  (ii)  or (iii) of subdivision (e) of
 section one thousand twelve of the family court act, sexual abuse  of  a
 child  or the death of a child. Members of multidisciplinary teams shall
 include but not be limited to representatives from the  following  agen-
 cies:  child  protective  services, law enforcement, district attorney's
 office, physician or medical provider trained  in  forensic  pediatrics,
 mental  health  professionals,  victim  advocacy  personnel  and, if one
 exists, a child advocacy center; PROVIDED HOWEVER,  THAT  MULTIDISCIPLI-
 NARY  TEAMS  SHALL  MAKE  EFFORTS  TO HAVE AVAILABLE FOR CONSULTATION AT
 LEAST ONE CHILD ABUSE MEDICAL SPECIALIST THAT HAS  RECEIVED  SPECIALIZED
 TRAINING  ON  CHILD  ABUSE OR IN RECOGNIZING THE SIGNS OF CHILD ABUSE OR
 MALTREATMENT, WHICH MAY INCLUDE A PHYSICIAN,  NURSE  OR  LICENSED  NURSE
 PRACTITIONER, OR OTHER LICENSED MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL ACTING WITHIN THEIR
 SCOPE  OF PRACTICE; AND PROVIDED FURTHER, HOWEVER THAT EFFECTIVE JANUARY
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD13746-01-2
 A. 10183                            2
 
 FIRST, TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FIVE THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE  MULTIDISCIPLINARY
 TEAMS  SHALL INCLUDE AT LEAST ONE CHILD ABUSE MEDICAL SPECIALIST, UNLESS
 SUCH MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM CERTIFIES TO  THE  OFFICE  OF  CHILDREN  AND
 FAMILY  SERVICES  THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO INCLUDE A CHILD ABUSE MEDICAL
 SPECIALIST WITHIN SUCH TEAM DUE TO  A  LACK  OF  AVAILABLE  CHILD  ABUSE
 MEDICAL  SPECIALISTS  IN  THE  REGION OR FISCAL HARDSHIP. Members of the
 multidisciplinary team primarily responsible for  the  investigation  of
 child  abuse  reports, including child protective services, law enforce-
 ment and district attorney's office, shall participate in  joint  inter-
 views and conduct investigative functions consistent with the mission of
 the  particular  agency  member  involved. It shall not be required that
 members of a multidisciplinary team not  responsible  for  the  investi-
 gation of reports participate in every investigation. Such other members
 shall  provide  victim  advocacy, emotional support, and RECOMMENDATIONS
 AND access to medical and mental  health  care,  where  applicable.  All
 members, consistent with their respective agency missions, shall facili-
 tate  efficient  delivery of services to victims and appropriate MEDICAL
 CARE AND/OR disposition of cases through  the  criminal  justice  system
 and/or  the  family  court  system  in a collaborative manner, AS MAY BE
 APPROPRIATE; PROVIDED FURTHER, however, non-investigative  team  members
 shall  note  their  specific  role in the team for reports covered under
 this title. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the  contrary,
 members  of  a  multidisciplinary investigative team or a child advocacy
 center may share with other team members client-identifiable information
 concerning the child or the child's family to  facilitate  the  investi-
 gation  of suspected child abuse or maltreatment. Nothing in this subdi-
 vision shall preclude the creation of multidisciplinary teams  or  child
 advocacy  centers  which include more than one social services district.
 Each team shall develop a written protocol for  investigation  of  child
 abuse  and  maltreatment  cases  and  for  interviewing  child abuse and
 maltreatment victims. The social  services  district  is  encouraged  to
 train each team member in risk assessment, indicators of child abuse and
 maltreatment, and appropriate interview techniques.
   § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.