Requires DCF and DOE to establish policies and procedures relating to child abuse and neglect and child abuse prevention during certain public health emergencies.

S3807

SENATE, No. 3807

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MARCH 5, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� M. TERESA RUIZ

District 29 (Essex and Hudson)

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires DCF and DOE to establish policies and
procedures relating to child abuse and neglect and child abuse prevention
during certain public health emergencies.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act

concerning child abuse and neglect and
supplementing Title 9 of the Revised Statutes and Title 18A of the New Jersey
Statutes.

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

����� 1.�
a.� The Department of Children and Families shall establish policies and
procedures to detect and investigate incidents of child abuse and neglect and
to promote child abuse prevention techniques that shall be employed for the
duration of each public health emergency declared pursuant to P.L.2005, c.222
(C.26:13-1 et seq.) that necessitates the use of social distancing and other
restrictions on person-to-person contact.

����� b.�� The
policies and procedures established pursuant to subsection a. of this section
shall include, but shall not be limited to, policies and procedures:

����� (1)� publicizing
the Department of Children and Family�s State Central Registry, the toll free
hotline number used in reporting child abuse and neglect, as well as the
provision of instructions for calling 911 for emergencies, and directions to
assist the public in accessing the department's website and social media
platforms to obtain more information on reporting child abuse and neglect;

����� (2)� allowing
a child protective investigator assigned to investigate an incident of child
abuse and neglect to perform some of the investigator�s responsibilities, if
appropriate, remotely by telephone, computer, or other means of live audio or
video communication;

����� (3)� allowing
a permanency worker assigned to a child under the department�s care, custody,
and supervision to provide case management services, if appropriate, remotely
by telephone, computer, or other means of live audio or video communication;

����� (4)�
allowing the family of a child under the department�s care, custody, and
supervision to access services remotely by telephone, computer, or other means
of live audio or video communication, as may be appropriate;

����� (5)�
providing for the preparation and dissemination of literature and other
resource materials by the department, utilizing both electronic and print
media, which:

����� (a)�
inform parents of factors that contribute to incidents of child abuse and
neglect and the legal ramifications of abusing or neglecting a child;

����� (b)
�outline the services provided by the State which help in preventing child
abuse and neglect;

����� (c)
��provide tips on child safety; and

����� (d)�
reinforce positive parenting skills; and

����� (6)
�providing for the regular review and analysis, by the department, of the
State�s child abuse reporting requirements pursuant to section 3 of P.L.1971,
c.437 (C.9:6-8.10) as may be necessary in order for the department to develop
and implement strategies to better detect and investigate incidents of child
abuse and neglect during public health emergencies that require social
distancing or other restrictions on person-to person contact.

����� c.�� The
Department of Children and Families shall be authorized to employ the policies
and procedures itemized in subsection b. of this section according to the
specific circumstances of an existing public health emergency, provided that
the department addresses the deficiencies presented by the existing public
health emergency� regarding child abuse detection, investigation, and
prevention.

����� d.�� The
Department of Children and Families, in consultation with the Department of
Education, shall establish a public awareness campaign to inform the general
public about:

����� (1)� protecting
children from child abuse and neglect during public health emergencies that
require social distancing, remote learning, and other restrictions on
person-to-person contact; and

����� (2)� the
policies and procedures established pursuant to the provisions of this section
and section 2 of P.L.��� , c.��� (C.�������� ) (pending before the Legislature
as this bill).

����� e.�� The
Department of Children and Families shall prepare a fact sheet on the
information provided through the public awareness campaign established pursuant
to subsection d. of this section.� The department shall make the fact sheet
available to the public by electronic or other means of distribution, and shall
post the fact sheet on its Internet website and the Internet websites of the
Departments of Education, Health, and Human Services.

���� 2.��� a.� The Department of
Children and Families shall collect and analyze data on all records of child
abuse reports made during the public health emergency declared in response to
the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, including, but not limited to:

���� (1)�� reports made pursuant to
section 3 of P.L.1971, c.437 (C.9:6-8.10);

���� (2)�� reports received
pursuant to section 20 of P.L.1974, c.119 (C.9:6-8.40); and

���� (3)�� all reports of findings
forwarded to the child abuse registry pursuant to section 4 of P.L.1971, c.437
(C.9:6-8.11).

���� b.��� No later than one year
after the effective date of
P.L.��� , c.���
(C.�������� )
(pending before the Legislature as this bill), the
Commissioner of Children and Families shall issue a report to the Governor and,
pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature,
which report shall:� (1) contain a summary of the data compiled by the
department pursuant to subsection a. of this section; and (2) include
comparative information about child abuse reports made during the COVID-19
pandemic and child abuse reports made prior to the pandemic.� The report shall
also include any recommendations for legislation or regulatory changes in the
reporting of cases of child abuse and neglect during a public health emergency
requiring social distancing or other restrictions on person-to-person contact
as the commissioner deems appropriate.

���� 3.� a.� The Department of
Education and the Department of Children and Families shall develop an online
training program for school employees on the detection and prevention of child
abuse, inclusive of how to do so during a public health emergency that requires
remote learning, social distancing, or other restrictions on person-to-person
contact.� The online training program shall be made available to all school
districts in the State, free of charge, to assist districts in meeting all
requirements established under State law to train school employees on the
identification, detection, reporting, and response to issues of child abuse.�
The training program shall:

���� (1)�� be developed by the
Department of Education and the Department of Children and Families, in
consultation with education and private entities with expertise in the
detection of child abuse and neglect as well as child abuse and neglect
prevention techniques; and

���� (2)�� include, but not be
limited to, information on the signs of child abuse and neglect, how to assess
the safety of a child, and in what ways the signs can be detected and a child
safety assessment can be conducted in person and virtually.

���� b.��� The Department of
Education, in consultation with the Department of Children and Families, shall
require every school district in the State, during a public health emergency
that requires remote learning, social distancing, or other restrictions on
person-to-person contact, to:

���� (1)�� allow students and their
families to remotely access, by telephone, computer, or other means of live
audio or video communication, information about the Department of Children and
Families' Family Helpline and other telephone hotlines that offer peer support,
clinical, or counseling services to children who are at risk of child abuse or
neglect and their families; and

���� (2)�� provide a behavioral
health assessment, remotely by telephone, computer, or other means of live
audio or video communication, to every student who is deemed at-risk of child
abuse or neglect as determined by a school psychologist, school counselor, or
school social worker.

���� 4.� This act shall take effect
immediately.

STATEMENT

����� This bill requires the Department of Children and
Families (DCF) to establish policies and procedures to detect and investigate
incidents of child abuse and neglect and to promote child abuse prevention
techniques that are to be employed for the duration of any public health
emergency declared pursuant to P.L.2005, c.222 (C.26:13-1 et seq.) that
necessitates restrictions on person-to-person contact.

����� The policies and procedures are to include, but not
be limited to: (1) publicizing the DCF�s State Central Registry, as well as
other information on reporting child abuse and neglect; (2) allowing certain
child protective investigators and permanency workers to perform duties, if
appropriate, remotely; (4) allowing the family of a child under the
department�s care, custody, and supervision to access services remotely, if
appropriate; (5) providing for the preparation and dissemination of resource
materials prepared by the department regarding child abuse and neglect; and (6)
providing for the regular review and analysis of the State�s child abuse
reporting requirements.� The bill authorizes the department to employ these
policies and procedures according to the specific circumstances of an existing
public health emergency, provided that the department addresses the
deficiencies presented by the existing public health emergency regarding child
abuse detection, investigation, and prevention.

����� Under the bill, the DCF, in consultation with the
Department of Education (DOE), is required to establish a public awareness
campaign regarding the protection of children from abuse and neglect during
public health emergencies that require restrictions on person-to-person
contact; and the policies and procedures established under the bill.� The bill
also requires the DCF to prepare a fact sheet on the information provided
through the public awareness campaign, and to make the fact sheet available in
various electronic locations.

����� The DCF is to collect and analyze data on all records
of child abuse reports made during the public health emergency declared in
response to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic and issue a report, no later
than one year after the effective date of the bill, to the Governor and the
Legislature.

����� The bill requires the DOE and the DCF to develop an
online training program for school employees on the detection and prevention of
child abuse, inclusive of how to do so during a public health emergency that
requires restrictions on person-to-person

contact.� The online training
program is to be made available to all school districts in the State, free of
charge, to assist school employees on the identification, detection, reporting,
and response to issues of child abuse
.

����� The DOE, in consultation with the DCF, is also to
require every school district in the State, during a public health emergency
that requires restrictions on person-to-person contact, to: (1) allow students
and their families to remotely access information about the DCF�s Family
Helpline and other similar telephone hotlines; and (2) remotely provide a
behavioral health assessment to every student who is deemed at-risk of child
abuse or neglect as determined by a school psychologist, school counselor, or school
social worker.