Existing law, the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act, establishes procedures for the reporting and investigation of suspected child abuse or neglect. Existing law requires certain professionals, including specified health practitioners and social workers, known as “mandated reporters,” to report known or suspected child abuse or neglect to a local law enforcement agency or a county welfare or probation department, as specified. Existing law requires an employee of those agencies, in certain circumstances, to send or have sent, within 36 hours, a copy of a report made pursuant to these provisions to the attorney who represents the child, who is the subject of the report, in dependency court. Existing law requires the agency to maintain a copy of the written report and provide all information requested by the attorney for the child or the child’s guardian ad litem within 30 days of the request.

This bill would require an employee of those agencies to additionally send a copy of the report to the attorney who represents a parent or legal guardian of the child, as specified. Under the bill, that requirement would not apply to certain individuals, including a parent whose parental rights have been terminated or a parent who is not entitled to reunification services. The bill would require the agency to redact all personal identifying information, as defined, regarding all persons, other than the child, who are identified in the report. If the suspected abuse or neglect occurred in a placement, as provided, the bill would require an employee of the agency to send a copy of the report to all attorneys who represent children with an open dependency case in that placement, subject to specified redaction.