Shaken baby syndrome.

Existing law requires that information and instructional materials regarding shaken baby syndrome be provided free of charge by each health facility to parents or guardians of each newborn, upon discharge from the health facility and by the State Department of Social Services to child care providers upon licensure. This bill would require the department, in consultation with the State Department of Public Health, the Department of Justice, and First 5 California, to develop and implement the Shaken Baby Syndrome Education Program, which would provide new parents and other adult caregivers of newborns and young infants with information and education relating to the prevention of shaken baby syndrome. The bill would also require these agencies to develop a process for the selection of eligible counties to voluntarily participate in the program. The bill would require the department, by January 1, 2020, to evaluate and submit to the Legislature a report on the effectiveness of the program in reducing the number of injuries and infant deaths in the state resulting from shaken baby syndrome, including a review of benchmarks, feedback about the program, and improvement opportunities, as applicable. The bill would provide that the activities required by its provisions shall be funded with available moneys from the Children's Trust Fund. The bill would also authorize the department to accept and expend other private funds received by the department from donations for the purposes of the program. The bill would make its provisions inoperative on July 1, 2020, and repeal them by January 1, 2021.