Establishment and Maintenance of Central Registries for Child Abuse or Neglect Reports - Florida

Establishment

Citation: Ann. Stat. § 39.101(1)(a)

The Department of Children and Families shall operate and maintain a central abuse hotline capable of receiving all reports of known or suspected child abuse, abandonment, or neglect and reports that a child is in need of supervision and care and has no parent, legal custodian, or responsible adult relative immediately known and available to provide such supervision and care. The hotline must accept reports 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and such reports must be made in accordance with § 39.201. The central abuse hotline must be capable of accepting reports made in accordance with § 39.201 in writing, through a single statewide toll-free telephone number, or through electronic reporting. A person may use any of these methods to make a report to the central abuse hotline.

Purpose

Citation: Ann. Stat. § 39.101

The central abuse hotline must be operated in such a manner as to enable the department to do the following:

• Accept reports for investigation when there is reasonable cause to suspect that a child has been or is being abused or neglected or has been abandoned 
• Determine whether the allegations made by the reporter require an immediate or a 24-hour response 
• Identify and locate prior reports or cases of child abuse, abandonment, or neglect immediately through utilization of the department's automated tracking system 
• Track critical steps in the investigative process to ensure compliance with all requirements for any report of abuse, abandonment, or neglect
• Refer reporters who do not allege child abuse, abandonment, or neglect to other organizations that may better resolve the reporter’s concerns when appropriate
• Serve as a resource for the evaluation, management, and planning of preventive and remedial services for children who have been subject to abuse, abandonment, or neglect
• Initiate and enter into agreements with other States for the purpose of gathering and sharing information contained in reports on child maltreatment to further enhance programs for the protection of children
• Promote public awareness of the central abuse hotline through community-based partner organizations and public service campaigns.

Information in the central abuse hotline may not be used for employment screening, except that information may be used by the department, its authorized agents or contract providers, the Department of Health, or county agencies as part of the licensure or registration process. The information in the central abuse hotline also may be used by the Department of Education for purposes of educator certification, discipline, and review.

Contents

Citation: Ann. Stat. § 39.101

The department shall voice-record all incoming or outgoing calls that are received or placed by the central abuse hotline that relate to suspected or known child abuse, neglect, or abandonment. The department shall maintain an electronic copy of reports made to the central abuse hotline through a call or electronic reporting. The recording or electronic copy of the report made to the central abuse hotline shall become a part of the record of the report.

Maintenance

Citation: Ann. Stat. § 39.202

The department shall make and keep reports and records of all cases under this chapter and shall preserve the records pertaining to a child and family until the child who is the subject of the record is age 30, at which point the department may destroy the records.