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Senate amends child-welfare interview rules; lawmakers debate parental-notification exception
Summary
Senators amended second-substitute House Bill 102 to clarify when the Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS) may conduct short, pre-notification interviews of children and to require notification to parents at an expedited time after such interviews; a proposed broad exception for immediate interviews unless a child’s health or safety would be endangered failed on the floor.
The Senate on March 1 debated and amended House Bill 102, a package of changes to child-welfare procedures that sponsors described as intended to protect children while preserving parental rights.
Sponsor and intent
Senator Mansell, explaining the second substitute, said the bill confirms parental rights while giving DCFS defined, limited authority to act in urgent circumstances. Key provisions: confirm parental rights generally; require DCFS to initiate a post-removal investigation when a child is taken into protective custody; and allow a short, limited "minimal interview" of a child prior to notifying a parent when the identity or relationship of an alleged perpetrator is unknown.
The minimal interview and timing rule
Under the…
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