Code of Alabama - Title 26: Infants and Incompetents - Chapter 16 - Child Abuse and Neglect

• Article 1 Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention.
• Section 26-16-1 Short title
  This article shall be known and may be cited as the Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Act.
• Section 26-16-2 Definitions
  As used in this article, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings herein ascribed to them: (1) CHILD. A person under 18 years...
• Section 26-16-3 Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board - Board created; department created; director; staff
  (a) The State Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board is created as an autonomous agency of the state government. (b) There is created the Department...
• Section 26-16-3.1 Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board - Transfer of rights, duties, property, etc., to Department of Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention
  (a) Except as necessary to comply with this section and Sections 26-16-2, 26-16-3, 26-16-4, and 26-16-6, the rights, duties, property, real or personal, and all...
• Section 26-16-4 Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board - Composition; terms; officers and committees; compensation
  (a) The state board shall be composed of the following 14 members: (1) The Commissioner of the State Department of Human Resources, the State Mental...
• Section 26-16-5 Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board - Public biannual meetings required; notice; books, records, etc., to be public records
  (a) The business of the state board shall be conducted at public meetings held in compliance with Chapter 25A of Title 36. The board shall...
• Section 26-16-6 Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board - Duties and functions of board and department
  (a) The state board shall do all of the following: (1) Meet not less than twice annually at the times prescribed in Section 26-16-5(a). (2)...
• Section 26-16-7 Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board - Recommendation to Governor, etc., of changes in state programs which will reduce problem of child abuse, etc
  The state board may recommend to the Governor and the Legislature changes in state programs, statutes, policies, budgets, and standards which will reduce the problem...
• Section 26-16-8 Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board - Acceptance of federal funds; authorized; conditions; disposition of funds
  The state board may accept federal funds granted by Congress or executive order for the purposes of this article as well as gifts and donations...
• Section 26-16-9 Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board - Disbursement generally
  (a) The state board may authorize the disbursement of available money from the trust fund exclusively for the following purposes, which are listed in the...
• Section 26-16-10 Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board - Criteria for making grants to local councils
  In making grants to a local council, the state board shall consider the degree to which the local council meets the following criteria: (1) Has...
• Section 26-16-11 Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention Board - Promulgation of rules
  Not later than two years after August 8, 1983, the state board shall promulgate rules pursuant to the Alabama Administrative Procedure Act, Act No. 81-855...
• Section 26-16-12 Review of board conducted every five years
  A thorough, independent review of the functions, responsibilities, and performance of the state board shall be completed each five years after August 8, 1983, and...
• Section 26-16-13 State agencies to share information concerning investigations of child abuse or neglect
  Law enforcement agencies of this state, social service agencies of this state, and state and local departments of human resources shall share information concerning investigations...
• Article 2 Children's Trust Fund.
• Section 26-16-30 Creation of fund; purpose; investment; disposition
  (a) The Children's Trust Fund is created as a separate fund in the State Treasury. The function of the Children's Trust Fund shall be to...
• Section 26-16-31 (Repealed effective for tax years beginning after December 31, 2005) State income tax refund designation program - Authorization; procedure
  (a) For the tax year beginning October 1, 1983, and until the State Treasurer certifies that the assets in the Children's Trust Fund exceed $10,000,000,...
• Section 26-16-32 State income tax refund designation program - Disposition of contributions
  (a) Each year that the refund designation program established in Section 26-16-31(a), above, is in effect, the Commissioner of the Department of Revenue shall transfer...
• Section 26-16-33 General repealer; construction of article
  All laws or parts of laws which conflict with this article are hereby repealed except that no part of this article shall be construed to...
• Article 3 Multi-disciplinary Child Protection Teams.
• Section 26-16-50 Department of Human Resources to provide for teams; composition of teams
  The Department of Human Resources shall provide for the development and coordination of the multi-disciplinary child protection teams created by this article and for the...
• Section 26-16-51 Department of Human Resources to adopt guidelines and criteria; general role and functions of teams
  The Department of Human Resources shall adopt guidelines and criteria relating to the operations and functions of the team as promulgated by the advisory committee...
• Section 26-16-52 Ad hoc child abuse protection team advisory committee created; composition, duties, etc.; annual report
  Upon October 1, 1985, an ad hoc child abuse protection team advisory committee shall be created and shall consist of the following members: The Governor...
• Section 26-16-53 Existing child abuse prevention teams preserved and exempted from article
  Child abuse prevention teams in existence as of October 1, 1985, shall not be replaced by the provisions of this article. Such existing teams are...
• Article 4 Alabama Network of Children's Advocacy Centers.
• Section 26-16-70 Membership; eligibility
  (a) For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings: (1) FORENSIC INTERVIEW. The same meaning as in Section 12-15-301. (2) LOCAL...
• Section 26-16-71 Allocation of funds to eligible centers
  (a) For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall have the following meanings: (1) ASSOCIATE MEMBER CENTER. A child advocacy center that is...
• Section 26-16-72 Initial funding; failure to meet standards
  Any new child advocacy center within the State of Alabama that desires to become certified by the network may request and receive initial funding if...
• Section 26-16-73 Allocation of funds by network board of directors
  The network board of directors shall be responsible for allocating state appropriated funds to existing and new child advocacy centers which meet the standards of...
• Article 5 Child Death Review Teams.
• Section 26-16-90 Legislative findings
  The Legislature finds and declares that: Every child is entitled to live in safety and in health and to survive into adulthood; there are concerns...
• Section 26-16-91 Definitions
  The following words and phrases have the following meanings unless the context clearly indicates otherwise: (1) AUTOPSY. An external and internal examination, medical history, and...
• Section 26-16-92 State policy
  It is the policy of this state that responding to unexpected/unexplained child deaths is a state and a community responsibility and must include an accurate...
• Section 26-16-93 State Child Death Review Team - Created
  (a) There is hereby created the State Child Death Review Team, referred to in this article as the state team. (b) The state team shall...
• Section 26-16-94 State Child Death Review Team - Purpose; duties
  The purpose of the state team is to decrease the risk and incidence of unexpected/unexplained child injury and death by undertaking all of the following...
• Section 26-16-95 Liability of team members
  State and local team members shall be immune from any and all civil and criminal liability in connection with their good faith participation on the...
• Section 26-16-96 Local child death review teams
  (a) There are hereby created local child death review teams. (b) Each county of the state shall be included in a local multidisciplinary, multiagency child...
• Section 26-16-97 Meetings; disclosure of information; violation; penalties
  (a) Meetings of the state team and of local teams shall be closed to the public and not subject to the State Sunshine Law when...
• Section 26-16-98 Confidentiality of information and records
  (a) All information and records acquired by the state team or by a local team, in the exercise of its purpose and duties pursuant to...
• Section 26-16-99 Duties of coroner/medical examiner
  The duties of the coroner/medical examiner shall include the following: (1) Except in locations where a county medical examiner has jurisdiction, the coroner or a...
• Article 6 Sudden Unexplained Infant Death Investigation Act.
• Section 26-16-110 Short title
  This article shall be known and may be cited as the Sudden Unexplained Infant Death Investigation Act.
• Section 26-16-111 Legislative findings
  The Legislature finds and declares all the following: (1) Protection of the health and welfare of the infants of this state is a goal of...
• Section 26-16-112 Definitions
  For purposes of this arciclet, the following words shall have the following meanings: (1) FORENSIC PATHOLOGIST. A pathologist trained or with experience in forensic pathology,...
• Section 26-16-113 Alabama Sudden Unexplained Infant Death Investigation Team
  (a) There is established the Alabama Sudden Unexplained Infant Death Investigation (SUIDI) Team which for administrative purposes shall be organized within the Department of Public...
• Section 26-16-114 Investigations; training; protocol and reporting forms
  (a) An investigation shall be performed utilizing protocol and forms approved by the Alabama Sudden Unexplained Infant Death Investigation (SUIDI) Team in all incidents of...
• Section 26-16-115 Duties of county coroner or medical examiner
  (a) In every case of SUID, the county coroner or medical examiner shall be notified and cooperate and assist law enforcement with the death investigation....

Last modified: May 3, 2021