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B26-0412 • 2025

Child Abuse Investigation Multidisciplinary Team Certification Amendment Act of 2025

Child Abuse Investigation Multidisciplinary Team Certification Amendment Act of 2025

Children
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
Parker
Last action
2026-01-27
Official status
Under Council Review
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The bill does not explicitly state the consequences for failing to comply with annual accreditation proof requirements.

Amending Child Abuse Investigation Rules

This bill changes how child abuse investigations are handled by requiring Multidisciplinary Teams to work with accredited Children's Advocacy Centers (CACs) and mandating annual proof of accreditation.

What This Bill Does

  • Defines 'CAC' as an accredited Children’s Advocacy Center under a service agreement with the District of Columbia.
  • Requires Multidisciplinary Teams to enter into agreements for services with an accredited CAC for coordinating investigations, unless there is no available CAC.
  • Adds a requirement that the CAC must provide proof of its accreditation status annually to the D.C. Council.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Children who are victims of abuse and neglect
  • Multidisciplinary Teams conducting child abuse investigations
  • Accredited Children’s Advocacy Centers

Terms To Know

CAC
An accredited Children's Advocacy Center that helps with child abuse investigations.
MDT
Multidisciplinary Team, a group of professionals who work together to investigate and respond to cases of child abuse or neglect.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how the District will handle investigations if there is no accredited CAC available.
  • It's unclear what happens if an accredited CAC fails to provide proof of its accreditation status annually.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-27 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Committee Mark-up of B26-0412 by the Youth Affairs Committee

  2. 2026-01-26 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Notice of Mark-up filed in the Office of Secretary

  3. 2026-01-20 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Notice of Mark-up filed in the Office of Secretary

  4. 2025-11-19 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Public Hearing on B26-0412 View Public Hearing Record

  5. 2025-10-31 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Notice of Public Hearing Published in the District of Columbia Register

  6. 2025-10-24 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Notice of Public Hearing filed in the Office of Secretary by Youth Affairs

  7. 2025-10-10 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Notice of Intent to Act on B26-0412 Published in the District of Columbia Register

  8. 2025-10-07 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    Referred to Committee on Youth Affairs

  9. 2025-10-06 Council of the District of Columbia LIMS

    B26-0412 Introduced by Councilmember Parker at Office of the Secretary

Official Summary Text

Child Abuse Investigation Multidisciplinary Team Certification Amendment Act of 2025

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
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_____________________________ 2
Councilmember Zachary Parker 3
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A BILL 6
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_________________________ 8
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IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA 10
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_________________________ 12
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To amend the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect Act of 1977 to define “CAC” as an 15
accredited Children’s Advocacy Center, to mandate the use of an accredited Children’s 16
Advocacy Center during Multidisciplinary Team investigations, to establish an annual 17
reassessment and designation of the District’s Children’s Advocacy Center, and to 18
require the Children’s Advocacy Center supply to Council proof of its accreditation status 19
upon annual designation. 20
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BE IT ENACTED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this act may 22
be cited as the “Child Abuse Investigation Multidisciplinary Team Certification 23
Amendment Act of 2025”. 24
Sec. 2. The Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect Act of 1977, effective September 23, 25
1977 (D.C. Law 2-22; D.C. Official Code § 4-1301.51 et seq) is amended as follows: 26
(a) Section 102(2B) (D.C. Official Code § 4-1301.02), is amended as follows: 27
“(2B) “CAC” means an accredited Children’ s Advocacy Center under an 28
agreement for services with the District of Columbia.” 29
(b) A new subsection (c) is added to read as follows: 30
“(c) The MDT shall make reasonable efforts to enter into an agreement for services with 31
an accredited Children’s Advocacy Center for the purposes of coordinating the MDT 32
investigation. The absence of a CAC shall not constitute grounds for the District’s investigating 33

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authority to delay or fail to carry out an MDT investigation. 34
(c) A new subsection (d) is added to read as follows: 35
“(d) The CAC serving as a member of the MDT shall, on an annual basis for the life of its 36
service agreement, provide the D.C. Council with documentation reflecting its accreditation 37
status in good standing by a national accrediting body with demonstrated expertise in the CAC 38
model.” 39
Sec. 4. Fiscal impact statement. 40
The Council adopts the fiscal impact statement in the committee report as the fiscal 41
impact statement required by section 4a of the General Legislative Procedures Act of 1975, 42
approved October 16, 2006 (120 Stat. 2038; D.C. Official Code § 1-301.47a). 43
Sec. 5. Effective date. 44
This act shall take effect after approval by the Mayor (or in the event of veto by the 45
Mayor, action by the Council to override the veto), a 30-day period of congressional review as 46
provided in section 602(c)(1) of the District of Columbia Home Rule Act, approved December 47
24, 1973 (87 Stat. 813; D.C. Official Code § 1-206.02(c)(1)), and publication in the District of 48
Columbia Register. 49