Title 23, DOMESTIC RELATIONS

(a) Departmental procedures.--The department shall establish procedures for the secure and confidential use of electronic technologies to transmit information under this chapter, including: (1) the filing of reports and other required records, including those of the county agency…

The department shall promulgate regulations necessary to implement this chapter. (Apr. 7, 2014, P.L.388, No.29, eff. Dec. 31, 2014) 2014 Amendment. Act 29 added section 6306.

(a) Mandated reporters.--The following adults shall make a report of suspected child abuse, subject to subsection (b), if the person has reasonable cause to suspect that a child is a victim of child abuse: (1) A person licensed or certified to practice in any health-related field…

(a) General rule.--Subject to subsection (b), the privileged communications between a mandated reporter and a patient or client of the mandated reporter shall not: (1) Apply to a situation involving child abuse. (2) Relieve the mandated reporter of the duty to make a report of su…

Any person may make an oral or written report of suspected child abuse, which may be submitted electronically, or cause a report of suspected child abuse to be made to the department, county agency or law enforcement, if that person has reasonable cause to suspect that a child is…

(a) Report by mandated reporter.-- (1) A mandated reporter shall immediately make an oral report of suspected child abuse to the department via the Statewide toll-free telephone number under section 6332 (relating to establishment of Statewide toll-free telephone number) or a wri…

A person or official required to report cases of suspected child abuse may take or cause to be taken photographs of the child who is subject to a report and, if clinically indicated, cause to be performed a radiological examination and other medical tests on the child. Medical su…

(a) General rule.--A child may be taken into protective custody: (1) As provided by 42 Pa.C.S. § 6324 (relating to taking into custody). (2) By a physician examining or treating the child or by the director, or a person specifically designated in writing by the director, of any h…

(a) General rule.--Children appearing to suffer any physical or mental condition which may constitute child abuse shall be admitted to, treated and maintained in facilities of private and public hospitals on the basis of medical need and shall not be refused or deprived in any wa…

A person or official required to report cases of suspected child abuse, including employees of a county agency, who has reasonable cause to suspect that a child died as a result of child abuse shall report that suspicion to the appropriate coroner or medical examiner. The coroner…

(a) General rule.--A person, hospital, institution, school, facility, agency or agency employee acting in good faith shall have immunity from civil and criminal liability that might otherwise result from any of the following: (1) Making a report of suspected child abuse or making…

(a) Failure to report or refer.-- (1) A person or official required by this chapter to report a case of suspected child abuse or to make a referral to the appropriate authorities commits an offense if the person or official willfully fails to do so. (2) An offense under this sect…

(a) Basis for relief.--A person may commence an action for appropriate relief if all of the following apply: (1) The person is required to report under section 6311 (relating to persons required to report suspected child abuse) or encouraged to report under section 6312 (relating…

There shall be established in the department a Statewide database of protective services, which shall include the following, as provided by section 6336 (relating to information in Statewide database): (1) Reports of suspected child abuse pending investigation. (2) Reports with a…

(a) General rule.--The department shall establish a single Statewide toll-free telephone number that all persons, whether mandated by law or not, may use to report cases of suspected child abuse or children allegedly in need of general protective services. A county agency or law …

The department shall be capable of receiving oral reports of child abuse, reports of children in need of general protective services, reports made by electronic technologies pursuant to this chapter and report summaries from county agencies. The department shall be capable of imm…

(a) Receipt of reports by county agencies and law enforcement.--After ensuring the immediate safety of the child and any other child in the child's home, a county agency or law enforcement official that receives a report of suspected child abuse shall immediately notify the depar…

The department shall establish procedures regarding the following different responses to address suspected child abuse and protective services depending on the person's allegedly committing the suspected child abuse or causing a child to be in need of protective services: (1) If …

(a) Request for information.--A county agency or law enforcement official shall use the Statewide toll-free telephone number, or any manner prescribed by the department, to determine the existence of any prior reports involving a subject of the report. If the Statewide database c…

(a) Information authorized.--The Statewide database shall include and shall be limited to the following information: (1) The names, Social Security numbers, age, race, ethnicity and sex of the subjects of the reports. (2) The date or dates and the nature and extent of the alleged…

(a) General rule.--When a report of suspected child abuse is determined by the appropriate county agency to be an unfounded report, the information concerning that report of suspected child abuse shall be maintained for a period of one year. Following the expiration of one year a…

(a) General rule.--When a report of suspected child abuse is determined by the appropriate county agency to be a founded report or an indicated report, the status of the report shall be changed from pending to founded or indicated in the Statewide database. Notice of the determin…

(a) General rule.--The name of a perpetrator who is the subject of an indicated report of child abuse and who was under 18 years of age when the individual committed child abuse shall be expunged from the Statewide database when the individual reaches 21 years of age or when five…

Except as otherwise provided in this subchapter or by the Pennsylvania Rules of Juvenile Court Procedure, reports made pursuant to this chapter, including, but not limited to, report summaries of child abuse and reports made pursuant to section 6313 (relating to reporting procedu…

(a) General rule.--Reports specified in section 6339 (relating to confidentiality of reports) shall only be made available to: (1) An authorized official of a county agency, of a Federal agency that has a need for such information to carry out its responsibilities under law to pr…

(a) Certified medical practitioners.--In circumstances which negatively affect the medical health of a child, a certified medical practitioner shall, in a timely manner, provide the county agency with the following information when an assessment for general protective services or…

(a) General rule.--Notwithstanding section 6338.1 (relating to expunction of information of perpetrator who was under 18 years of age when child abuse was committed): (1) At any time, the secretary may amend or expunge any record in the Statewide database under this chapter upon …

(a) Studies.--The department may conduct or authorize the conducting of studies of the data contained in the Statewide database and by county agencies and distribute the results of the studies. No study may contain the name or other information by which a subject of a report coul…

(a) General rule.--If, within 30 days from the date of an initial report of suspected child abuse, the appropriate county agency has not investigated the report and informed the department that the report is an indicated report or an unfounded report or unless within that same 30…

(a) Establishment.--The department shall establish a minimum of three citizen review panels. The department may designate a child fatality or near fatality review team under section 6365(d) (relating to services for prevention, investigation and treatment of child abuse) as a cit…

(a) Applicability.--Beginning December 31, 2014, this section applies to the following individuals: (1) An employee of child-care services. (2) A foster parent. (3) A prospective adoptive parent. (4) A self-employed provider of child-care services in a family child-care home. (5)…

(a) General rule.--In addition to the requirements of section 6344 (relating to employees having contact with children; adoptive and foster parents), an individual who applies to the department for a certificate of compliance or a license to provide child day care in a residence …

(a) Applicability.--This section applies to an adult applying for or holding an unpaid position as a volunteer with a child-care service, a school or a program, activity or service, as a person responsible for the child's welfare or having direct volunteer contact with children a…

(a) (Reserved). (b) (Reserved). (c) (Reserved). (d) (Reserved). (e) Noninterference with decisions.--Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to otherwise interfere with the ability of an employer or person responsible for a program, activity or service to make employment, disc…

New certifications shall be obtained in accordance with the following: (1) Effective December 31, 2014: (i) Except as provided in subparagraph (v), a person identified in section 6344 (relating to employees having contact with children; adoptive and foster parents) shall be requi…

The Attorney General shall conduct a mandated audit done randomly but at least once during each year on an unannounced basis to ensure that the expunction requirements of this chapter are being fully and properly conducted. (Dec. 16, 1994, P.L.1292, No.151, eff. July 1, 1995)

(a) General rule.--The secretary may request and shall receive from Commonwealth agencies, political subdivisions, an authorized agency or any other agency providing services under the local protective services plan any assistance and data that will enable the department and the …

(a) General rule.--No later than May 1 of every year, the secretary shall prepare and transmit to the Governor and the General Assembly a report on the operations of the Statewide database and protective services provided by county agencies. The report shall include a full statis…

The department shall adopt regulations necessary to implement this chapter. Special Provisions in Appendix. See section 10(2) of Act 151 of 1994 in the appendix to this title for special provisions relating to promulgation of regulations pertaining to general protective services.…

(a) Failure to amend or expunge information.-- (1) A person or official authorized to keep the records mentioned in section 6337 (relating to disposition and expunction of unfounded reports and general protective services reports) or 6338 (relating to disposition of founded and i…

(a) Establishment.--Every county agency shall make available child protective services within the agency. The department may waive the requirement that a county agency be the sole civil agency for receipt and investigation of reports pursuant to section 6362 (relating to responsi…

(a) General rule.--The county agency shall be the sole civil agency responsible for receiving and investigating all reports of child abuse made pursuant to this chapter, specifically including, but not limited to, reports of child abuse in facilities operated by the department an…

The county agency shall include provisions for protective services in its annual plan as required by the act of June 13, 1967 (P.L.31, No.21), known as the Public Welfare Code. (Dec. 16, 1994, P.L.1292, No.151, eff. July 1, 1995) References in Text. The short title of the act of …

Any other provision of law notwithstanding but consistent with sections 6361 (relating to organization for child protective services) and 6362 (relating to responsibilities of county agency for child protective services), the county agency, based upon the plan of services as prov…

(a) Instruction and education.--Each county agency shall make available among its services for the prevention and treatment of child abuse instruction and education for parenthood and parenting skills, protective and preventive social counseling, outreach and counseling services …

Each county agency shall receive 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all reports, both oral and written, of suspected child abuse in accordance with this chapter, the county plan for the provision of child protective services and the regulations of the department. (Dec. 16, 1994, …