1. The classes of persons enumerated in this subsection shall make a report within twenty-four hours and as provided in section 232.70, of cases of child abuse. In addition, the classes of persons enumerated in this subsection shall make a report of abuse of a child which would be defined as child abuse under section 232.68, subsection 2, paragraph “a”, subparagraph (3) or (5), except that the abuse resulted from the acts or omissions of a person other than a person responsible for the care of the child.

 a. Every health practitioner who in the scope of professional practice, examines, attends, or treats a child and who reasonably believes the child has been abused. Notwithstanding section 139A.30, this provision applies to a health practitioner who receives information confirming that a child is infected with a sexually transmitted disease.
 b. Any of the following persons who, in the scope of professional practice or in their employment responsibilities, examines, attends, counsels, or treats a child and reasonably believes a child has suffered abuse:

 (1) A social worker.
 (2) An employee or operator of a public or private health care facility as defined in section 135C.1.
 (3) A certified psychologist.
 (4) A licensed school employee, certified para-educator, holder of a coaching authorization issued under section 256.165, school employee who is eighteen years of age or older, or an instructor employed by a community college.
 (5) An employee or operator of a licensed child care center, registered child development home, head start program, family development and self-sufficiency grant program under section 216A.107, or healthy opportunities for parents to experience success – healthy families Iowa program under section 135.106.
 (6) An employee or operator of a substance use disorder program or facility licensed under chapter 125.
 (7) An employee of a department institution listed in section 218.1.
 (8) An employee or operator of a juvenile detention or juvenile shelter care facility approved under section 232.142.
 (9) An employee or operator of a foster care facility licensed or approved under chapter 237.
 (10) An employee or operator of a mental health center.
 (11) A peace officer.
 (12) A counselor or mental health professional.
 (13) An employee or operator of a provider of services to children funded under a federally approved medical assistance home and community-based services waiver.
 (14) An employee, operator, owner, or other person who performs duties for a children’s residential facility certified under chapter 237C.
 (15) A massage therapist licensed pursuant to chapter 152C.
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Terms Used In Iowa Code 232.69

  • abuse: means :
     (1) Any nonaccidental physical injury, or injury which is at variance with the history given of it, suffered by a child as the result of the acts or omissions of a person responsible for the care of the child. See Iowa Code 232.68
  • Child: includes but shall not be limited to a stepchild, foster child, or legally adopted child and means a child actually or apparently under eighteen years of age, and a dependent person eighteen years of age or over who is unable to maintain the person's self and is likely to become a public charge. See Iowa Code 252A.2
  • Child: means any person under the age of eighteen years. See Iowa Code 232.68
  • Department: means the department of health and human services. See Iowa Code 249L.2
  • Department: means the department of health and human services and includes the local and county offices of the department. See Iowa Code 232.68
  • Detention: means the temporary care of a child in a physically restricting facility designed to ensure the continued custody of the child at any point between the child's initial contact with the juvenile authorities and the final disposition of the child's case. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • Director: means the director of health and human services or the director's designee. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Foster care: means the provision of parental nurturing, including but not limited to the furnishing of food, lodging, training, education, supervision, treatment, or other care, to a child on a full-time basis by a person, including an adult relative or fictive kin of the child, and where the child is under the placement, care, or supervision of the department, juvenile court services, or tribes with whom the department has entered into an agreement pursuant to a court order or voluntary placement, but not including a guardian of the child. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • Health practitioner: includes a licensed physician and surgeon, osteopathic physician and surgeon, dentist, optometrist, podiatric physician, or chiropractor; a resident or intern in any of such professions; a licensed dental hygienist, a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse; a physician assistant; and an emergency medical care provider certified under section 147A. See Iowa Code 232.68
  • Institution: means a birthing hospital. See Iowa Code 252A.2
  • Juvenile: means the same as "child". See Iowa Code 232.2
  • Mental health professional: means a person who meets the following requirements:
     a. See Iowa Code 232.68
  • month: means a calendar month, and the word "year" and the abbreviation "A. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Peace officer: means a law enforcement officer or a person designated as a peace officer by a provision of the Code. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • person: means individual, corporation, limited liability company, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership or association, or any other legal entity. See Iowa Code 4.1
  • Shelter care: means the temporary care of a child in a physically unrestricting facility at any time between a child's initial contact with juvenile authorities and the final judicial disposition of the child's case. See Iowa Code 232.2
  • state: means the general interest held by the people in the health, safety, welfare, and protection of all children living in this state. See Iowa Code 232.90
  • United States: includes all the states. See Iowa Code 4.1
 2. Any other person who believes that a child has been abused may make a report as provided in section 232.70.
 3. a. For the purposes of this subsection, “licensing board” means a board designated in section 147.13, the board of educational examiners created in section 256.146, or a licensing board as defined in section 272C.1.

 b. A person required to make a report under subsection 1, other than a physician whose professional practice does not regularly involve providing primary health care to children, shall complete two hours of training relating to the identification and reporting of child abuse within six months of initial employment or self-employment involving the examination, attending, counseling, or treatment of children on a regular basis. Within one month of initial employment or self-employment, the person shall obtain a statement of the abuse reporting requirements from the person’s employer or, if self-employed, from the department. The person shall complete at least two hours of additional child abuse identification and reporting training every three years. If the person completes at least one hour of additional child abuse identification and reporting training prior to the three-year expiration period, the person shall be deemed in compliance with the training requirements of this section for an additional three years.
 c. The core training curriculum relating to the identification and reporting of child abuse, as provided in paragraph “b”, shall be developed and provided by the department.
 d. An employer of a person required to make a report under subsection 1 may provide supplemental training, specific to identification and reporting of child abuse as it relates to the person’s professional practice, in addition to the core training provided by the department.
 e. A licensing board with authority over the license of a person required to make a report under subsection 1 shall require as a condition of licensure that the person is in compliance with the requirements for abuse training under this subsection. The licensing board shall require the person upon licensure renewal to accurately document for the licensing board the person’s completion of the training requirements. However, the licensing board may adopt rules providing for waiver or suspension of the compliance requirements, if the waiver or suspension is in the public interest, applicable to a person who is engaged in active duty in the military service of this state or of the United States, to a person for whom compliance with the training requirements would impose a significant hardship, or to a person who is practicing a licensed profession outside this state or is otherwise subject to circumstances that would preclude the person from encountering child abuse in this state.
 f. For persons required to make a report under subsection 1 who are not engaged in a licensed profession that is subject to the authority of a licensing board but are employed by a facility or program subject to licensure, registration, or approval by a state agency, the agency shall require as a condition of renewal of the facility’s or program’s licensure, registration, or approval, that such persons employed by the facility or program are in compliance with the training requirements of this subsection.
 g. For peace officers, the elected or appointed official designated as the head of the agency employing the peace officer shall ensure compliance with the training requirements of this subsection.
 h. For persons required to make a report under subsection 1 who are employees of state departments and political subdivisions of the state, the department director or the chief administrator of the political subdivision shall ensure the persons’ compliance with the training requirements of this subsection.
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