| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to child abuse; amending ss. 39.001 and |
| 3 | 39.201, F.S.; requiring all Department of Children and |
| 4 | Family Services employees and persons in specified |
| 5 | occupation categories assigned to report, manage, or |
| 6 | supervise cases of child abuse, abandonment, and neglect |
| 7 | to annually complete a continuing education course; |
| 8 | providing an effective date. |
| 9 |
|
| 10 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 11 |
|
| 12 | Section 1. Paragraph (e) of subsection (2) of section |
| 13 | 39.001, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 14 | 39.001 Purposes and intent; personnel standards and |
| 15 | screening.-- |
| 16 | (2) DEPARTMENT CONTRACTS.--The department may contract |
| 17 | with the Federal Government, other state departments and |
| 18 | agencies, county and municipal governments and agencies, public |
| 19 | and private agencies, and private individuals and corporations |
| 20 | in carrying out the purposes of, and the responsibilities |
| 21 | established in, this chapter. |
| 22 | (e) The department shall develop and implement a written |
| 23 | and performance-based testing and evaluation program to ensure |
| 24 | measurable competencies of all employees assigned to report, |
| 25 | manage, or supervise cases of child abuse, abandonment, and |
| 26 | neglect. All employees assigned to report, manage, or supervise |
| 27 | cases of child abuse, abandonment, and neglect shall complete a |
| 28 | 1-hour continuing education course on child abuse each year. |
| 29 | Section 2. Paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of section |
| 30 | 39.201, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: |
| 31 | 39.201 Mandatory reports of child abuse, abandonment, or |
| 32 | neglect; mandatory reports of death; central abuse hotline.-- |
| 33 | (1) |
| 34 | (b) Reporters in the following occupation categories are |
| 35 | required to provide their names to the hotline staff and are |
| 36 | required to complete a 1-hour continuing education course on |
| 37 | child abuse each year: |
| 38 | 1. Physician, osteopathic physician, medical examiner, |
| 39 | chiropractic physician, nurse, or hospital personnel engaged in |
| 40 | the admission, examination, care, or treatment of persons; |
| 41 | 2. Health or mental health professional other than one |
| 42 | listed in subparagraph 1.; |
| 43 | 3. Practitioner who relies solely on spiritual means for |
| 44 | healing; |
| 45 | 4. School teacher or other school official or personnel; |
| 46 | 5. Social worker, day care center worker, or other |
| 47 | professional child care, foster care, residential, or |
| 48 | institutional worker; |
| 49 | 6. Law enforcement officer; or |
| 50 | 7. Judge. |
| 51 |
|
| 52 | The names of reporters shall be entered into the record of the |
| 53 | report, but shall be held confidential and exempt as provided in |
| 54 | s. 39.202. |
| 55 | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2006. |