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I <br />m monitoring of CPS screening decisions, improvements to the Central <br /> Registry £or Child Abuse and Heglect, increased training and <br /> <br />i community awareness, enhancement of the Child Medical Evaluation <br /> Program and proposed legislative actions. <br /> <br /> Section 2. The Secretary of Human Resources is hereby <br /> I directed to request the Social Services Commission to enact <br /> emergency rules, in accordance with Chapter 150B of the I{orth <br /> Carolina General Statutes, requiring each County Department of <br /> I Social Services to estab!ish a Community Child Protection Team <br /> to review defined cases of child abuse or neglect, including child <br /> fatalities. It is my recommendation that the membership of each <br /> team include, but not be limited to, the following individuals: <br /> I the director of Social Services and a member of their staff, local <br /> law enforcement, the District Attorney's office, the medical <br /> profession, community action agency, school personnel, county <br /> I social services board member and, at their option, three tc five <br /> members appointed by the county board of commissioners. The <br /> county board of commissioners may by action e/thin 30 days <br /> <br /> i designate the chairm~n of the revie~ team. Otherwise, the <br /> director of Social Services will chair the team. <br /> <br /> In cases of abuse/neglect, the focus of the team shall be to <br /> ensure appropriate community invol~,ement in the protection of the <br /> children and to assist the county department of social services in <br /> evaluating allegations of maltreatment.and in planning and <br /> I providing services to prevent further abuse/neglect. In the <br /> review of child fatalities resulting from maltreatment, the focus <br /> of the review team will be to identify gaps and deficiencies in <br /> the local child protection system and help put into place neede6 <br /> I remedies, assist the county department of social services <br /> and <br /> to <br /> in the protection o£ surviving sib]ings. <br /> <br /> I The teams shall conduct their reviews in compliance with all <br /> la~s and regulations governing confidentiality of abuse/neglect <br /> records. <br />I <br /> . Section 3. It shall be the responsibility of the <br /> Department of Human Resources Division of Social Services, in <br /> accordance with the laws and through the adoption o~ emerEency <br /> mrul.es by the Social Services Commission~ to: <br /> <br /> 1. Develop procedures to guide the o~eration of community <br /> m child protection teams and to define the c~ses which <br /> ~ill be subject to review by the county teams. <br /> <br /> m 2. standardize among counties the interpretation of <br /> ~oaretakeru so all counties investigate allegations of <br /> abuse and neglect involving non-traditional family <br /> members, such as boyfriends. <br /> <br /> 3. Require each county department of social services to <br /> have a t~o level review prior to making a decision not <br />i m to investigate a report of alleged abuse or neglect. <br /> <br /> <br />