Title 63.2, Title 63.2. Welfare (Social Services)

A. An investigation requires the collection of information necessary to determine: 1. The immediate safety needs of the child; 2. The protective and rehabilitative services needs of the child and family that will deter abuse or neglect; 3. Risk of future harm to the child; 4. Alt…

A. A family assessment requires the collection of information necessary to determine: 1. The immediate safety needs of the child; 2. The protective and rehabilitative services needs of the child and family that will deter abuse or neglect; 3. Risk of future harm to the child; 4. …

A. If a report or complaint is based upon information and allegations that a child is a victim of sex trafficking or severe forms of trafficking as defined in the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. § 7102 et seq.) and in the federal Justice for Victims …

All law-enforcement departments and other state and local departments, agencies, authorities and institutions shall cooperate with each child-protective services coordinator of a local department and any multi-discipline teams in the detection and prevention of child abuse.

A. A valid report or complaint means the local department has evaluated the information and allegations of the report or complaint and determined that the local department shall conduct an investigation, family assessment, or human trafficking assessment because the following ele…

A. The following persons who, in their professional or official capacity, have reason to suspect that a child is an abused or neglected child, shall report the matter immediately to the local department of the county or city wherein the child resides or wherein the abuse or negle…

Any person who suspects that a child is an abused or neglected child may make a complaint concerning such child, except as hereinafter provided, to the local department of the county or city wherein the child resides or wherein the abuse or neglect is believed to have occurred or…

If an employee of the local department is suspected of abusing or neglecting a child, the complaint shall be made to the Department's toll-free child abuse and neglect hotline. If the complaint is determined valid, the Department shall forward the valid complaint to the court of …

A. If a teacher, principal or other person employed by a local school board or employed in a school operated by the Commonwealth is suspected of abusing or neglecting a child in the course of his educational employment, the complaint shall be investigated in accordance with §§ 63…

Any person making a report pursuant to § 63.2-1509, a complaint pursuant to § 63.2-1510, or who takes a child into custody pursuant to § 63.2-1517, or who participates in a judicial proceeding resulting therefrom shall be immune from any civil or criminal liability in connection …

A. Any person fourteen years of age or older who makes or causes to be made a report of child abuse or neglect pursuant to this chapter that he knows to be false shall be guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor. Any person fourteen years of age or older who has been previously convicted …

A. The local department shall retain the records of all reports or complaints made pursuant to this chapter, in accordance with regulations adopted by the Board. However, all records related to founded cases of child sexual abuse involving injuries or conditions, real or threaten…

The central registry shall contain such information as shall be prescribed by Board regulation; however, when the founded case of abuse or neglect does not name the parents or guardians of the child as the abuser or neglector, and the abuse or neglect occurred in a licensed or un…

Any person who is suspected of abuse or neglect of a child and who is the subject of an investigation or family assessment pursuant to this chapter may tape record any communications between him and child-protective services personnel that take place during the course of such inv…

The local department shall, at the initial time of contact with the person subject to a child abuse and neglect investigation, advise such person of the complaints or allegations made against the person, in a manner that is consistent with laws protecting the rights of the person…

A. Except as provided in subsection B of this section, in cases where a child is alleged to have been abused or neglected by a teacher, principal or other person employed by a local school board or employed in a school operated by the Commonwealth, in the course of such employmen…

A. A physician or child-protective services worker of a local department or law-enforcement official investigating a report or complaint of abuse and neglect may take a child into custody for up to 72 hours without prior approval of parents or guardians provided: 1. The circumsta…

Any person required to make a report or conduct an investigation or family assessment, pursuant to this chapter may talk to any child suspected of being abused or neglected or to any of his siblings without consent of and outside the presence of his parent, guardian, legal custod…

In any legal proceeding resulting from the filing of any report or complaint pursuant to this chapter, the physician-patient and spousal privileges shall not apply.

In any case of suspected child abuse, photographs and X-rays of the child may be taken without the consent of the parent or other person responsible for such child as a part of the medical evaluation. Photographs of the child may also be taken without the consent of the parent or…

A. In any civil proceeding involving alleged abuse or neglect of a child pursuant to this chapter or pursuant to § 16.1-241, 16.1-251, 16.1-252, 16.1-253, 16.1-253.1, 16.1-253.4, 16.1-278.14, 16.1-279.1, 16.1-283, or 20-107.2, the child's attorney or guardian ad litem or, if the …

A. In any civil proceeding involving alleged abuse or neglect of a child pursuant to this chapter or pursuant to § 16.1-241, 16.1-251, 16.1-252, 16.1-253, 16.1-283, or 20-107.2, an out-of-court statement made by a child 14 years of age or younger at the time the statement is offe…

A. In any civil proceeding involving alleged abuse or neglect of a child pursuant to this chapter or pursuant to § 16.1-241, 16.1-251, 16.1-252, 16.1-253, 16.1-283, or 20-107.2, a recording of a statement of the alleged victim of the offense, made prior to the proceeding, may be …

The court may order psychological, psychiatric and physical examinations of the child alleged to be abused or neglected and of the parents, guardians, caretakers or siblings of a child suspected of being neglected or abused.

In the case of a petition in the court for removal of custody of a child alleged to have been abused or neglected, competent evidence by a physician that a child is abused or neglected shall constitute prima facie evidence to support such petition.

A. A person who is suspected of or is found to have committed abuse or neglect may, within 30 days of being notified of that determination, request the local department rendering such determination to amend the determination and the local department's related records. Upon writte…

A. The Board shall be responsible for establishing standards for out-of-family investigations and for the implementation of the family assessment track of the differential response system. B. The Out-of-Family Investigations Advisory Committee (the Committee) is hereby establishe…

A. The Virginia Child Protection Accountability System (the System) is created to collect and make available to the public information on the response to reported cases of child abuse and neglect in the Commonwealth. The Department shall establish and maintain the System. The Boa…

For the purposes of this article, unless the context requires a different meaning: "Alternative living arrangement" means an arrangement whereby custody of a child is temporarily transferred to a caregiver in conjunction with an alternative living arrangement service plan. "Alter…

The Parental Child Safety Placement Program is established to prevent unnecessary entry into foster care by promoting and supporting placements with relatives and fictive kin and requiring accountability for pre-court placements of children. A local department may facilitate a pa…

A. A parental child safety placement agreement shall include provisions describing the following: 1. The facts and circumstances that provide the basis for the safety assessment indicating that the child cannot remain safely in the home; 2. The responsibilities of the child's par…

A. The local department shall assess the proposed caregiver and determine whether the proposed caregiver (i) is willing and qualified to receive and care for the child; (ii) is willing to have a positive, continuous relationship with the child; and (iii) is willing and has the ab…

A. Prior to the conclusion of a parental child safety placement agreement, the local department shall reassess the safety of the child if the child were to be returned home. B. If it is determined that the child can be safely returned home prior to or at the conclusion of the par…

A. Nothing herein shall be deemed to prohibit the local department from seeking any other appropriate court action at any time to protect the health and welfare of the child. B. Nothing herein shall be deemed to prohibit a caregiver or other person with a legitimate interest from…