CHILDREN-TECH

This bill amends the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act to allow the Department of Children and Family Services to use a "differential response program" for handling child abuse and neglect reports. Under this new system, the department can choose between conducting a full investigation or a less intrusive "family assessment" for reports that do not involve substantial child endangerment. A family assessment focuses on evaluating family strengths and needs to determine if services are required, rather than fact-gathering to prove abuse occurred. If a report initially assigned for investigation is later deemed to require only a family assessment, the department must document the reason for this change and notify law enforcement if they are jointly involved. Additionally, the bill requires an independent evaluation of the program for its first three years to ensure it meets its goals.