Child abuse and neglect: reports.

Existing federal and state law requires the State Department of Social Services, as the state agency that administers and oversees the state's child welfare program and as a condition of receiving certain federal funding, to, among other things, monitor and evaluate activities carried out in the state's child welfare programs and report suspected instances of physical or mental injury, sexual abuse or exploitation, or negligent treatment or maltreatment of a child receiving specified aid. This bill would restate the duties of the State Department of Social Services relating to the state's child welfare programs. The bill would require the department to continue performing those duties by establishing policies and procedures that ensure the department is notified of child deaths by each county, investigates those deaths, and concludes whether the deaths were preventable by systemic reforms at the county level. Existing law requires the custodian of records within a county child welfare agency, within 5 business days of learning that a child fatality has occurred in the county and that there is a reasonable suspicion that the fatality was caused by abuse or neglect, to release specified records upon request, subject to the redaction of certain identifying personal information, of child abuse or neglect that results in the death of a child. Existing law requires each county welfare agency or department to notify the State Department of Social Services, as provided, of all child fatalities that occurred within its jurisdiction that were the result of child abuse or neglect. Existing law requires the State Department of Social Services to annually issue a report identifying the child fatalities and any systemic issues or patterns revealed by the notices submitted by county welfare services departments or agencies and other relevant information. This bill would require this report to include additional information, including an analysis of the circumstances leading to each child's death if the child had previously received child welfare services in the county in which the death occurred or in which the child had been the subject of a report of possible abuse or neglect and an evaluation and conclusion of whether child welfare services provided to the child, if any, were provided in a manner that is consistent with state law, federal law, and county policies and procedures.