West Virginia Code 49-4-405 – Multidisciplinary treatment planning process involving child abuse and neglect; team membership; duties; reports; admissions
(a) Within thirty days of the initiation of a judicial proceeding pursuant to part six, of this article, the department shall convene a multidisciplinary treatment team to assess, plan and implement a comprehensive, individualized service plan for children who are victims of abuse or neglect and their families. The multidisciplinary team shall obtain and utilize any assessments for the children or the adult respondents that it deems necessary to assist in the development of that plan.
Terms Used In West Virginia Code 49-4-405
- Adult: means a person who is at least eighteen years of age. See West Virginia Code 49-1-202
- child: means an individual who meets one of the following conditions:
(A) Is under thirteen years of age. See West Virginia Code 49-1-202
- child abuse or neglect: means any act or omission that creates an abused child or a neglected child as those terms are defined in this section. See West Virginia Code 49-1-201
- Court: means the circuit court of the county with jurisdiction of the case or the judge in vacation unless otherwise specifically provided. See West Virginia Code 49-1-207
- Docket: A log containing brief entries of court proceedings.
- Facility: means a place or residence, including personnel, structures, grounds, and equipment used for the care of a child or children on a residential or other basis for any number of hours a day in any shelter or structure maintained for that purpose. See West Virginia Code 49-1-206
- 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.
- Multidisciplinary team: means a group of professionals and paraprofessionals representing a variety of disciplines who interact and coordinate their efforts to identify, diagnose and treat specific cases of child abuse and neglect. See West Virginia Code 49-1-207
- Out-of-home placement: means a post-adjudication placement in a foster family home, kinship parent home, group home, nonsecure facility, emergency shelter, hospital, psychiatric residential treatment facility, staff secure facility, hardware secure facility, detention facility, or other residential placement other than placement in the home of a parent, custodian, or guardian. See West Virginia Code 49-1-206
- Parent: means an individual defined as a parent by law or on the basis of a biological relationship, marriage to a person with a biological relationship, legal adoption or other recognized grounds. See West Virginia Code 49-1-204
- Parental rights: means any and all rights and duties regarding a parent to a minor child. See West Virginia Code 49-1-204
- Placement: means any temporary or permanent placement of a child who is in the custody of the state in any foster home, kinship parent home, group home, or other facility or residence. See West Virginia Code 49-1-206
- Respondent: means all parents, guardians, and custodians identified in the child abuse and neglect petition who are not petitioners or copetitioners. See West Virginia Code 49-1-201
- State: when applied to a part of the United States and not restricted by the context, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories, and the words "United States" also include the said district and territories. See West Virginia Code 2-2-10
(b) In a case initiated pursuant to part six of this article, the treatment team consists of:
(1) The child or family’s case manager in the department;
(2) The adult respondent or respondents;
(3) The child’s parent or parents, guardians, any copetitioners, custodial relatives of the child, foster or preadoptive parents;
(4) Any attorney representing an adult respondent or other member of the treatment team;
(5) The child’s counsel or the guardian ad litem;
(6) The prosecuting attorney or his or her designee;
(7) A member of a child advocacy center when the child has been processed through the child advocacy center program or programs or it is otherwise appropriate that a member of the child advocacy center participate;
(8) Any court-appointed special advocate assigned to a case;
(9) Any other person entitled to notice and the right to be heard;
(10) An appropriate school official;
(11) The managed care case coordinator; and
(12) Any other person or agency representative who may assist in providing recommendations for the particular needs of the child and family, including domestic violence service providers.
The child may participate in multidisciplinary treatment team meetings if the child’s participation is deemed appropriate by the multidisciplinary treatment team. Unless otherwise ordered by the court, a party whose parental rights have been terminated and his or her attorney may not be given notice of a multidisciplinary treatment team meeting and does not have the right to participate in any treatment team meeting.
(c) Prior to disposition in each case which a treatment planning team has been convened, the team shall advise the court as to the types of services the team has determined are needed and the type of placement, if any, which will best serve the needs of the child. If the team determines that an out-of-home placement will best serve the needs of the child, the team shall first consider placement with appropriate relatives then with foster care homes, facilities or programs located within the state. The team may only recommend placement in an out-of-state facility if it concludes, after considering the best interests and overall needs of the child, that there are no available and suitable in-state facilities which can satisfactorily meet the specific needs of the child.
(d) The multidisciplinary treatment team shall submit written reports to the court as required by the rules governing this type of proceeding or by the court, and shall meet as often as deemed necessary but at least every three months until the case is dismissed from the docket of the court. The multidisciplinary treatment team shall be available for status conferences and hearings as required by the court.
(e) If a respondent or copetitioner admits the underlying allegations of child abuse or neglect, or both abuse and neglect, in the multidisciplinary treatment planning process, his or her statements may not be used in any subsequent criminal proceeding against him or her, except for perjury or false swearing.