§ 28-729 — Teams; members; training; child advocacy center; duties; meetings

(1) A child abuse and neglect investigation team shall include
a representative from the county attorney's office, a representative from the Division of Children and Family Services
of the Department of Health and Human Services, a representative
from each law enforcement agency which has jurisdiction within the county
or contiguous group of counties, a representative from the child advocacy
center, and representatives from such other agencies as determined by the
team.
(2) A child abuse and neglect treatment team shall include
a representative
from the Division of Children
and Family Services of the Department of Health and Human Services,
a juvenile probation officer, a representative from each of the mental health profession and the medical profession actively practicing
within the county or contiguous group of counties, a representative from each
school district which provides services within the county or contiguous group
of counties, a representative from the child advocacy center, and representatives
from such other agencies as determined by the team. For purposes of this subsection,
more than one school district may be represented by the same individual.
(3) The teams established pursuant to this section and section 28-728 shall be encouraged to expand their membership to include the various
relevant disciplines which exist within the county or contiguous group of
counties. The additional members shall have the requisite experience necessary
as determined by the core members of the teams. Consistent with requirements
set out by the teams, all members of both teams shall attend child abuse and
neglect training on an annual basis. Such training shall be no less than eight
hours annually and consist of the following components:
(a) Child abuse and neglect investigation procedures;
(b) Legal requirements and procedures for successful prosecution
of child abuse and neglect cases;
(c) Roles and responsibilities of child protective services,
law enforcement agencies, county attorneys, child
advocacy centers, the Attorney General, and judges;
(d) Characteristics of child development and family dynamics;
(e) Recognition of various types of abuse and neglect;
(f) Duty of public and private individuals and agencies, including
schools, governmental agencies, physicians, and child advocates, to report
suspected or known child abuse;
(g) Multidisciplinary approaches to providing services to
children; and
(h) Continually identifying and improving
weaknesses in the current child protection system and developing ongoing best practices.
(4) The representative of the child advocacy center shall report the name
and address of each team member and
the number of times the team met within a calendar year to the
Nebraska Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice.
(5) Each team shall meet at a location agreed to by the team.
The number of meetings of the team shall be secondary to the caseload of the
team, but each team shall meet at least quarterly. Each team may substitute a telephone conference call among
team members in lieu of meeting in person. If a team fails to convene, the
commission shall notify the Child Protection Division of the office of the
Attorney General and the division shall appoint the team members or convene
the team pursuant to sections 28-728 to 28-730 . Nothing in this section shall
relieve the county attorney from ensuring that the teams meet as required
by this section.

Legislative History

Source: Laws 1992, LB 1184, § 2; Laws 1996, LB 1044, § 74; Laws 2006, LB 1113, § 25; Laws 2012, LB993, § 2.