8-817

8-817. Initial screening and safety assessment
and investigation protocols

A. The department shall develop, establish and implement initial screening and
safety assessment protocols in consultation with the attorney general and statewide with
county attorneys, chiefs of police, sheriffs, medical experts, victims' rights advocates,
domestic violence victim advocates and mandatory reporters. Any initial screening and
safety assessment tools shall be based on sound methodology and shall ensure valid and
reliable responses. The department shall establish written policies and procedures to
implement the use of the initial screening and safety assessment protocols.

B. To ensure thorough investigations of those accused of crimes against children,
in each county, the county attorney, in cooperation with the sheriff, the chief law
enforcement officer for each municipality in the county and the department shall develop,
adopt and implement protocols to guide the conduct of investigations of allegations
involving criminal conduct. The protocols shall include:

1. The process for notification of receipt of criminal conduct allegations.

2. The standards for interdisciplinary investigations of specific types of abuse
and neglect, including timely forensic medical evaluations.

3. The standards for interdisciplinary investigations involving native American
children in compliance with the Indian child welfare act.

4. Procedures for sharing information and standards for the timely disclosure of
information.

5. Procedures for coordination of screening, response and investigation with other
involved professional disciplines and notification of case status and standards for the
timely disclosure of related information.

6. The training required for the involved child protective services workers, law
enforcement officers and prosecutors to execute the investigation protocols, including
forensic interviewing skills.

7. The process to ensure review of and compliance with the investigation protocols
and the reporting of activity under the protocols.

8. Procedures for an annual report to be transmitted within forty-five days after
the end of each fiscal year independently from child protective services and each county
attorney to the governor, the speaker of the house of representatives and the president
of the senate. This report shall be a public document and shall include:

(a) The number of criminal conduct allegations investigated and how many of these
investigations were conducted jointly pursuant to the investigation protocols established
in this subsection.

(b) Information from each county attorney regarding the number of cases presented
for review, the number of persons charged in those cases, the reasons why charges were
not pursued and the disposition of these cases.

9. Procedures for dispute resolution.

C. The department shall cooperate with the county attorney and the appropriate law
enforcement agency pursuant to the investigation protocols adopted in this section. In
instances of criminal conduct against a child, the department shall protect the victim's
rights of the children in its custody against harassment, intimidation and abuse, as
applicable, pursuant to article II, section 2.1, Constitution of Arizona.

D. The county attorney and the law enforcement agency shall cooperate with the
department pursuant to the investigation protocols adopted in this section.