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Representative Jackson urges mandatory child checks during some DCS visits; agency says current policy requires visual assessments
Summary
Representative Jackson described a bill to require caseworkers to visually examine children five and under during home visits to check for bruises and contusions; DCS policy staff told the committee caseworkers are already required to interview and visually assess alleged victims and to do so in a least-intrusive, age- and trauma-sensitive way.
Representative Jackson described her bill (filed as House Bill 13 18 in the transcript) that would require DCS caseworkers to check children five and under for bruises, contusions and other signs of abuse during home visits. She framed the proposal as an "extra layer of protection" after a string of fatality reports in which family members said a worker had visited the child the day before an injury or death but the public report did not reflect visible injuries.
Madeline, the DCS liaison present, told the committee that DCS policy 4.04 already requires family case managers to interview and visually assess alleged victims of abuse or neglect and to do so "in the least intrusive manner" that is sensitive to age, gender and emotional well-being. The agency emphasized the distinction between a visual assessment and a mandated physical examination on every routine visit, explaining policy seeks to avoid re-traumatizing children and to tailor examinations to clinical and investigative needs.
Representative Jackson said her bill would apply to children five and under and that she had not yet received full written agency feedback; the chair said committee staff would forward DCS concerns to the sponsor and work collaboratively to refine language. No final action on this bill occurred at the hearing.
