235A.13 - DEFINITIONS.
235A.13 DEFINITIONS.
As used in chapter 232, division III, part 2, and sections 235A.13
to 235A.24, unless the context otherwise requires:
1. "Assessment data" means any of the following information
pertaining to the department's evaluation of a family:
a. Identification of the strengths and needs of the child,
and of the child's parent, home, and family.
b. Identification of services available from the department
and informal and formal services and other support available in the
community to meet identified strengths and needs.
2. "Child abuse information" means any or all of the
following data maintained by the department in a manual or automated
data storage system and individually identified:
a. Report data.
b. Assessment data.
c. Disposition data.
3. "Confidentiality" means the withholding of information
from any manner of communication, public or private.
4. "Department" means the department of human services.
5. "Disposition data" means information pertaining to an
opinion or decision as to the occurrence of child abuse, including:
a. Any intermediate or ultimate opinion or decision reached
by assessment personnel.
b. Any opinion or decision reached in the course of judicial
proceedings.
c. The present status of any case.
6. "Expungement" means the process of destroying child abuse
information.
7. "Individually identified" means any report, assessment, or
disposition data which names the person or persons responsible or
believed responsible for the child abuse.
8. "Multidisciplinary team" means a group of individuals who
possess knowledge and skills related to the diagnosis, assessment,
and disposition of child abuse cases and who are professionals
practicing in the disciplines of medicine, nursing, public health,
substance abuse, domestic violence, mental health, social work, child
development, education, law, juvenile probation, or law enforcement,
or a group established pursuant to section 235B.1, subsection 1.
9. "Near fatality" means an injury to a child that, as
certified by a physician, placed the child in serious or critical
condition.
10. "Report data" means any of the following information
pertaining to an assessment of an allegation of child abuse in which
the department has determined the alleged child abuse meets the
definition of child abuse:
a. The name and address of the child and the child's parents
or other persons responsible for the child's care.
b. The age of the child.
c. The nature and extent of the injury, including evidence of
any previous injury.
d. Additional information as to the nature, extent, and cause
of the injury, and the identity of the person or persons alleged to
be responsible for the injury.
e. The names and conditions of other children in the child's
home.
f. A recording made of an interview conducted under chapter
232 in association with a child abuse assessment.
g. Any other information believed to be helpful in
establishing the information in paragraph "d".
11. "Sealing" means the process of removing child abuse
information from authorized access as provided by this chapter. Section History: Early Form
[C75, 77, 79, 81, § 235A.13; 82 Acts, ch 1066, § 1] Section History: Recent Form
84 Acts, ch 1035, § 2; 87 Acts, ch 153, § 9; 87 Acts, ch 182, § 1;
92 Acts, ch 1143, § 2; 97 Acts, ch 35, §13, 25; 97 Acts, ch 176, § 6,
7, 27--31, 43; 99 Acts, ch 96, §26; 2000 Acts, ch 1137, §5, 14; 2002
Acts, ch 1074, §2; 2003 Acts, ch 44, §51; 2003 Acts, ch 62, §1; 2004
Acts, ch 1153, §3
Referred to in § 135.43, 232.68, 232.71B, 235A.12, 331.909
For additional definitions, see §232.68