PRINTER'S NO. 4009
No. 2788 Session of 1986
INTRODUCED BY GRUPPO, SEMMEL, LANGTRY, D. W. SNYDER, ARGALL,
PERZEL, WOGAN, ANGSTADT, BOYES, BLACK AND CARLSON,
SEPTEMBER 29, 1986
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND WELFARE, SEPTEMBER 29, 1986
AN ACT
1 Amending the act of November 26, 1975 (P.L.438, No.124),
2 entitled, as amended, "An act establishing child protective
3 services; providing procedures for reporting and
4 investigating the abuse of children; establishing and
5 providing access to a Statewide central register and pending
6 complaint file on child abuse; investigating such reports;
7 providing for taking protective action including taking a
8 child into protective custody; placing duties on the
9 Department of Public Welfare and county children and youth
10 social service agencies; establishing child protective
11 services in each county children and youth social service
12 agency; and providing penalties," further providing for the
13 results of abuse complaint investigations.
14 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
15 hereby enacts as follows:
16 Section 1. Section 17(4) of the act of November 26, 1975
17 (P.L.438, No.124), known as the Child Protective Services Law,
18 is amended to read:
19 Section 17. Duties of the Child Protective Service
20 Concerning Reports of Abuse.--Each child protective service
21 shall:
22 * * *
23 (4) Upon receipt of each report of suspected child abuse,
1 commence within 24 hours, an appropriate investigation which
2 shall include an interview of the child or children, a
3 determination of the risk to such child or children if they
4 continue to remain in the existing home environment, as well as
5 a determination of the nature, extent, and cause of any
6 condition enumerated in such report, and, after seeing to the
7 safety of the child or children, forthwith notify the subjects
8 of the report in writing, of the existence of the report and
9 their rights pursuant to this act in regard to amendment or
10 expungement. The investigation shall be completed within 30
11 days. Upon completion of the investigation, the child protective
12 service shall notify the party who reported the suspected abuse
13 (pursuant to section 4 or 5) of the outcome of the
14 investigation. This notice shall include whether the report is
15 "founded," indicated," or "unfounded" and the action taken by
16 the child protective service.
17 * * *
18 Section 2. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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