28-729 Teams; members; training; county attorney; duties; meetings; annual report.
28-729. Teams; members; training; county attorney; duties; meetings; annual report.(1) A child abuse and neglect investigation team shall include a representative from the county attorney's office, a child protective services representative from the Department of Health and Human Services, a representative from each law enforcement agency which has jurisdiction within the county or contiguous group of counties, a representative from the child advocacy center, and representatives from such other agencies as determined by the team.(2) A child abuse and neglect treatment team shall include a child protective services representative from the Department of Health and Human Services, a juvenile probation officer, a representative from the mental health profession or medical profession actively practicing within the county or contiguous group of counties, a representative from each school district which provides services within the county or contiguous group of counties, a representative from the child advocacy center, and representatives from such other agencies as determined by the team. For purposes of this subsection, more than one school district may be represented by the same individual.(3) The teams established pursuant to this section and section 28-728 shall be encouraged to expand their membership to include the various relevant disciplines which exist within the county or contiguous group of counties. The additional members shall have the requisite experience necessary as determined by the core members of the teams. Consistent with requirements set out by the teams, all members of both teams shall attend child abuse and neglect training on an annual basis. Such training shall be no less than eight hours annually and consist of the following components:(a) Child abuse and neglect investigation procedures as provided by law enforcement standards;(b) Legal requirements and procedures for successful prosecution of child abuse and neglect cases;(c) Roles and responsibilities of child protective services, law enforcement agencies, county attorneys, the Attorney General, and judges;(d) Characteristics of child development and family dynamics;(e) Recognition of various types of abuse and neglect;(f) Duty of public and private individuals and agencies, including schools, governmental agencies, physicians, and child advocates, to report suspected or known child abuse;(g) Multidisciplinary approaches to providing services to children; and(h) Weaknesses in the current child protection system.(4) The representative of the county attorney shall report the name and address of each team member to the Nebraska Commission on Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice. If more than one county is part of a team, the representative of the participating county attorneys shall jointly and cooperatively report their results to the commission.(5) Each team shall meet at a location agreed to by the team. The number of meetings of the team shall be secondary to the caseload of the team, but each team shall meet at least quarterly. The representative from the child advocacy center assigned to the team shall annually report to the commission the number of times the team met within a calendar year and any changes in team membership. Each team shall select a chairperson annually in the first quarter of each calendar year. Each team may substitute a telephone conference call among team members in lieu of meeting in person. If a team fails to convene, the commission shall notify the Child Protection Division of the office of the Attorney General and the division shall appoint the team members or convene the team pursuant to sections 28-728 to 28-730. Nothing in this section shall relieve the county attorney from ensuring that the teams meet as required by this section. SourceLaws 1992, LB 1184, § 2; Laws 1996, LB 1044, § 74; Laws 2006, LB 1113, § 25.