Child abuse or neglect in military families.

ORIGINAL
House
Bill No
.
HB0018

ENROLLED ACT NO. 3,

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

SIXTY-FOUR
TH
LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WYOMING
2017 General Session

AN ACT relating to child protection; specifying duties of the department of family services and local protection agencies; requiring inquiry into the military status of persons and children in a child abuse or neglect case as specified; amending reporting requirements in specified child abuse or neglect cases; and providing for an effective date.

Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Wyoming:

Section 1
.

W.S. 14
‑
3
‑
203(c) by creating a new paragraph (vi), 14
‑
3
‑
204(
a)(viii), (ix) and by creating a new paragraph (x)
and
14
‑
3
‑
206(a)(i)
and (ii)(intro)

are amended to read:

14
‑
3
‑
203
.

Duties of state agency; on
‑
call services.

(c)

The state agency shall ensure that all child protective service workers are trained:

(vi)

To make reasonable efforts to determine if the person responsible for the welfare of a child in a suspected case of child abuse or neglect is a member of the armed forces or if the child is enrolled in the defense enrollment eligibility reporting system of the United States department of defense.

14
‑
3
‑
204
.

Duties of local child protective agency.

(a)

The local child protective agency shall:

(viii)

When the best interest of the child requires court action, contact the county and prosecuting attorney to initiate legal proceedings and assist the county and prosecuting attorney during the proceedings. If
the county attorney elects not to bring court action the local child protective agency may petition the court for appointment of a guardian ad litem who shall act in the best interest of the child and who may petition the court to direct the county attorney to show cause why an action should not be commenced under W.S. 14
‑
3
‑
401 through 14
‑
3
‑
439;
and

(ix)

Refer a child receiving department services who is under the age of six (6) years to the department of health, division of developmental disabilities preschool program for educational and developmental screening and assessment
;
.

and

(x)

Make reasonable efforts to determine

if
the person responsible for the welfare of a child in a suspected case of child abuse or neglect is a member of the armed forces
or if
the child is enrolled in the defense enrollment eligibility reporting system of the United States department of defense.

14
‑
3
‑
206
.

Child abuse or neglect; written report; statewide reporting center; documentation; costs and admissibility thereof.

(a)

Reports of child abuse or neglect or of suspected child abuse or neglect made to the local child protective agency or local law enforcement agency shall be:

(i)

Conveyed immediately by the agency receiving the report to the appropriate local child protective agency or local law enforcement agency

and
,
if
the person responsible for the welfare of a child is a
member of the armed forces or if the child is enrolled in the defense enrollment eligibility reporting system of the United
States department of defense
, to
the
state judge advocat
e
for
the Wyoming military department
. The agencies shall continue cooperating and coordinating with each other during the assessment or investigation; and

(ii)

Followed by a written report by the receiving agency confirming or not confirming the facts reported. The report shall provide to law enforcement
,

or

the local child protective agency

and

the state judge advocate

for the Wyoming military department
when appropriate,

the following, to the extent available:

Section

2
.

This
act is effective July 1,
201
7
.

(END)

Speaker of the House

President of the Senate

Governor

TIME APPROVED: _________

DATE APPROVED: _________

I hereby certify that this act originated in the
House
.

Chief Clerk

1