(a) No health facility shall surrender the physical custody of a minor under 16 years of age to any person unless such surrender is authorized in writing by the child’s parent, the person having legal custody of the child, or the caregiver of the child who is a relative of the child and who may authorize medical care and dental care under Section 6550 of the Family Code.
(b) A health facility shall report to the State Department of Health Services, on forms supplied by the department, the name and address of any person and, in the case of a person acting as an agent for an organization, the name and address of the organization, into whose physical custody a minor under the age of 16 is surrendered, other than a parent, relative by blood or marriage, or person having legal custody. This report shall be transmitted to the department within 48 hours of the surrendering of custody. No report to the department is required if a minor under the age of 16 is transferred to another health facility for further care or if this minor comes within Section 300, 601, or 602 of the Welfare and Institutions Code and is released to an agent of a public welfare, probation, or law enforcement agency.
(Amended by Stats. 1996, Ch. 563, Sec. 4. Effective January 1, 1997.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018