135.118 - CHILD PROTECTION CENTER GRANT PROGRAM.
135.118 CHILD PROTECTION CENTER GRANT PROGRAM.
1. A child protection center grant program is established in the
Iowa department of public health in accordance with this section.
The director of public health shall establish requirements for the
grant program and shall award grants. A grant may be used for
establishment of a new center or for support of an existing center.
2. The eligibility requirements for a child protection center
grant shall include but are not limited to all of the following:
a. A grantee must meet or be in the process of meeting the
standards established by the national children's alliance for
children's advocacy centers.
b. A grantee must have in place an interagency memorandum of
understanding regarding participation in the operation of the center
and for coordinating the activities of the government entities that
respond to cases of child abuse in order to facilitate the
appropriate disposition of child abuse cases through the juvenile and
criminal justice systems. Agencies participating under the
memorandum must include the following that are operating in the area
served by the grantee:
(1) Department of human services county offices assigned to child
protection.
(2) County and municipal law enforcement agencies.
(3) Office of the county attorney.
(4) Other government agencies involved with child abuse
assessments or service provision.
c. The interagency memorandum must provide for a cooperative
team approach to responding to child abuse, reducing the number of
interviews required of a victim of child abuse, and establishing an
approach that emphasizes the best interest of the child and that
provides investigation, assessment, and rehabilitative services.
d. As necessary to address serious cases of child abuse such
as those involving sexual abuse, serious physical abuse, and
substance abuse, a grantee must be able to involve or consult with
persons from various professional disciplines who have training and
expertise in addressing special types of child abuse. These persons
may include but are not limited to physicians and other health care
professionals, mental health professionals, social workers, child
protection workers, attorneys, juvenile court officers, public health
workers, child development experts, child educators, and child
advocates.
3. The director shall create a committee to consider grant
proposals and to make grant recommendations to the director. The
committee membership may include but is not limited to
representatives of the following: departments of human services,
justice, and public health, Iowa medical society, Iowa hospital
association, Iowa nurses association, and an association representing
social workers.
4. Implementation of the grant program is subject to the
availability of funding for the grant program. Section History: Recent Form
2001 Acts, ch 166, §1