Cross-Reporting Among Agencies That Respond to Child Abuse and Neglect - South Carolina
Cross-Reporting Between Child Protective Services and Law Enforcement
Citation: Ann. Code §§ 63-7-320; 63-7-980
When reports are made to a law enforcement agency pursuant to § 63-7-310, the law enforcement agency shall notify the county Department of Social Services of the law enforcement's response to the report at the earliest possible time.
Where a county or contiguous counties have established multicounty child protective services, the county department immediately shall transfer reports pursuant to this section to the multicounty child protective service.
The department must cooperate with law enforcement agencies within the area it serves and establish procedures necessary to facilitate the referral of child protection cases to the department.
When the facts indicating abuse or neglect also appear to indicate a violation of criminal law, the department must notify the appropriate law enforcement agency of those facts within 24 hours of the department's finding for the purposes of police investigation. The law enforcement agency must file a formal incident report at the time it is notified by the department of the finding.
When the intake report is of alleged sexual abuse, the department must notify the appropriate law enforcement agency within 24 hours of receipt of the report to determine if a joint investigation is necessary. The law enforcement agency must file a formal incident report at the time it is notified of the alleged sexual abuse.
The law enforcement agency must provide to the department copies of incident reports generated in any case reported to law enforcement by the department and in any case in which the officer responsible for the case knows the department is involved with the family or the child. The law enforcement officer must make reasonable efforts to advise the department of significant developments in the case, such as disposition in summary court, referral of a juvenile to the Department of Juvenile Justice, arrest or detention, trial date, and disposition of charges.
Other Reporting Requirements
Citation: Ann. Code § 63-7-320; Child Welf. Serv. Pol. & Proc. Man. Ch. 7, § 710
In the event the alleged abused or neglected child is a member of an active duty military family, concurrent with the transfer of the report, the county department shall notify the designated authorities at the military installation where the active duty military sponsor is assigned, pursuant to the memorandum of understanding or agreement with the military installation's command authority. The county department or law enforcement agency may collect and share information concerning the military affiliation of a person having custody of a child who is the subject of an investigation.
In policy: During initial contact or as soon as possible, the caseworker will gather information from the child and family to identify the ethnicity the child and family. If the information gathered supports or confirms that the child is a member of a federally recognized Native American Tribe or nation, the caseworker will notify the Tribal office for the purpose of coordinating the investigation and possible placement with Tribal authorities.