Child protective teams – Investigations – Services

(a) (A) A person under eighteen (18) years of age. See Tennessee Code 37-1-102Commissioner: means commissioner of children's services. See Tennessee Code 37-1-102Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.Department: means the department of children's services. See Tennessee Code 37-1-102Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.Juvenile court: means the general sessions court in all counties of this state, except in those counties and municipalities in which special juvenile courts are provided by law, and "judge" means judge of the juvenile court. See Tennessee Code 37-1-102Person: includes a corporation, firm, company or association. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105Representative: when applied to those who represent a decedent, includes executors and administrators, unless the context implies heirs and distributees. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105Severe child abuse: means : (A)(i) The knowing exposure of a child to or the knowing failure to protect a child from abuse or neglect that is likely to cause serious bodily injury or death and the knowing use of force on a child that is likely to cause serious bodily injury or death. See Tennessee Code 37-1-102sex: means a person's immutable biological sex as determined by anatomy and genetics existing at the time of birth and evidence of a person's biological sex. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105Testimony: Evidence presented orally by witnesses during trials or before grand juries.written: includes printing, typewriting, engraving, lithography, and any other mode of representing words and letters. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105Year: means a calendar year, unless otherwise expressed. See Tennessee Code 1-3-105(1) (A) The department shall coordinate the services of child protective teams. At least one (1) child protective team shall be organized in each county. The district attorney general of each judicial district shall, by January 15 of each year, report to the judiciary committee of the senate and the civil justice committee of the house of representatives on the status of the teams in the district attorney general’s district as required by this section, and the progress of the child protective teams that have been organized in the district attorney general’s district. The department shall, with the cooperation of all statutorily authorized members of the child protective team, establish a procedure and format for data collection. The procedure and format developed shall include at a minimum the following information: (i) The number of reports received for investigation by type (i.e., sexual abuse, serious physical abuse, life-threatening neglect); (ii) The number of investigations initiated by type; (iii) The number of final dispositions of cases obtained in the current reporting year by type of disposition as follows: (a) Unsubstantiated, closed, no service; (b) Unsubstantiated, referred for non-custodial support services; (c) Substantiated, closed, no service; (d) Substantiated, service provided, no prosecution; (e) Substantiated, service provided, prosecution, acquittal; or (f) Substantiated, service provided, prosecution, conviction; (iv) Age, race, gender, and relationship to the victim of perpetrators identified in cases that are included in subdivisions (a)(1)(A)(iii)(c)-(f); and (v) The type and amount of community-based support received by child protective teams through linkages with other local agencies and organizations and through monetary or in-kind, or both, donations. (B) Such data shall be reported by January 15 of each year to the judiciary committee of the senate and the civil justice committee of the house of representatives, along with a progress report on the teams and any recommendations for enhancement of the child sexual abuse or severe child abuse plan and program. (C) The district attorneys general conference, the administrative office of the courts, the Tennessee chapter of children’s advocacy centers, the department, and law enforcement agencies may enter into data sharing agreements that allow for the sharing of information necessary to ensure compliance with reporting requirements under this section and § 9-4-213(a)(8). Data shared pursuant to an agreement retains its confidential status, consistent with § 37-1-612. (2) Each team must be composed of one (1) person from the department, one (1) representative from the office of the district attorney general,