Okla. Stat. tit. 10A, § 10A-1-9-102

abuse or neglect - Duties.

A. 1. In coordination with the Oklahoma Commission on Children

and Youth, each district attorney shall develop a multidisciplinary

child abuse team in each county of the district attorney or in a

contiguous group of counties.

2. The lead agency for the team shall be chosen by the members

of the team. The team shall review cases involving child sexual

abuse or child physical abuse or neglect.

B. The multidisciplinary child abuse team members shall

include, but not be limited to:

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1. Mental health professionals licensed pursuant to the laws of

this state or licensed professional counselors;

2. Police officers or other law enforcement agents with a role

in, or experience or training in child abuse and neglect

investigation;

3. Medical personnel with experience in child abuse and neglect

identification;

4. Child protective services workers within the Department of

Human Services;

5. Multidisciplinary child abuse team coordinators, or Child

Advocacy Center personnel; and

6. The district attorney or assistant district attorney.

C. 1. To the extent that resources are available to each of

the various multidisciplinary child abuse teams throughout the

state, the functions of the team shall include, but not be limited

to, the following specific functions:

a. whenever feasible, law enforcement and child welfare

staff shall conduct joint investigations to

effectively respond to child abuse reports,

b. develop a written protocol for the joint investigation

of child sexual abuse and child physical abuse or

neglect cases by law enforcement and child welfare

staff and for professionals interviewing child

victims. The purpose of the protocol shall be to

ensure coordination and cooperation between all

agencies involved so as to increase the efficiency in

handling such cases and to minimize the stress created

for the allegedly abused child by the legal and

investigatory process. In addition, each team shall

develop confidentiality statements and interagency

agreements signed by member agencies that specify the

cooperative effort of the member agencies to the team,

c. increase communication and collaboration among the

professionals responsible for the reporting,

investigation, prosecution and treatment of child

abuse and neglect cases,

d. eliminate duplicative efforts in the investigation and

the prosecution of child abuse and neglect cases,

e. identify gaps in service or all untapped resources

within the community to improve the delivery of

services to the victim and family,

f. encourage the development of expertise through

training. Each team member and those conducting child

abuse investigations and interviews of child abuse

victims shall be trained in the multidisciplinary team

approach, conducting legally sound and age-appropriate

interviews, effective investigation techniques and

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joint investigations as provided through the State

Department of Health, the Commission on Children and

Youth, or other resources, and

g. formalize a case review process that includes the use

of a secure database provided for in Section 2 of this

act and report program data as requested to the

Commission.

2. All investigations of child sexual abuse and child physical

abuse or neglect and interviews of child abuse or neglect victims

shall be carried out by appropriate personnel using the protocols

specified in this section.

3. If trained personnel are not available in a timely fashion

and, in the judgment of a law enforcement officer or the Department

of Human Services, there is reasonable cause to believe a delay in

investigation or interview of the child victim could place the child

in jeopardy of harm or threatened harm to the child's health or

welfare, the investigation may proceed without full participation of
If trained personnel are not available in a timely fashion

and, in the judgment of a law enforcement officer or the Department

of Human Services, there is reasonable cause to believe a delay in

investigation or interview of the child victim could place the child

in jeopardy of harm or threatened harm to the child's health or

welfare, the investigation may proceed without full participation of

all personnel, provided all reasonable efforts have been made to

facilitate the use of a trained investigator or interviewer. This

authority applies only for as long as reasonable danger to the child

exists. As soon as possible thereafter, the joint investigation

protocol shall be initiated.

4. Freestanding multidisciplinary child abuse teams shall be

approved by the Commission. The Commission shall direct an annual

review of freestanding multidisciplinary teams to ensure that the

teams are functioning effectively, and staff shall conduct on-site

compliance reviews as necessary. Teams not meeting the minimal

standards as promulgated by the Commission shall be removed from the

list of functioning teams in the state.

D. 1. A multidisciplinary child abuse team may enter into an

agreement with the Child Death Review Board within the Oklahoma

Commission on Children and Youth and, in accordance with rules

promulgated by the Oklahoma Commission on Children and Youth,

conduct case reviews of deaths and near deaths of children within

the geographical area of that multidisciplinary child abuse team.

2. Any multidisciplinary child abuse team reviewing deaths and

near deaths of children shall prepare and make available to the

public, on an annual basis, a report containing a summary of the

activities of the team relating to the review of the deaths and near

deaths of children and a summary of the extent to which the state

child protection system is coordinating with foster care and

adoption programs and whether the state is efficiently discharging

its child protection responsibilities. The report shall be

completed no later than December 31 of each year.

E. Nothing in this section shall preclude the use of hospital

team reviews for client-specific purposes and multidisciplinary

teams, either of which were in existence prior to July 1, 1995;

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provided, however, such teams shall not be subject to the provisions

of paragraph 1 of subsection A of this section.

F. 1. Child advocacy centers shall be classified, based on the

child population of a district attorney's district, as follows:

a. nonurban centers in districts with child populations

that are less than sixty thousand (60,000),

b. midlevel nonurban centers in districts with child

populations equal to or greater than sixty thousand

(60,000), but not including Oklahoma and Tulsa

Counties, and

c. urban centers in Oklahoma and Tulsa Counties.

2. The multidisciplinary child abuse team used by the child

advocacy center for its accreditation shall meet the criteria

required by a national association of child advocacy centers and, in

addition, the team shall:

a. choose a lead agency for the team,

b. intervene in reports involving child sexual abuse and

may intervene in child physical abuse or neglect,

c. promote the joint investigation of child abuse reports

between law enforcement and child welfare staff, and

d. formalize standardized investigative procedures for

the handling of child abuse and neglect cases.

G. Multidisciplinary child abuse teams and child advocacy

centers shall have full access to any service or treatment plan and

any personal data known to the Department which is directly related

to the implementation of this section.

H. Each member of the team shall be responsible for protecting

the confidentiality of the child and any information made available

to such person as a member of the team. The multidisciplinary team
ms and child advocacy

centers shall have full access to any service or treatment plan and

any personal data known to the Department which is directly related

to the implementation of this section.

H. Each member of the team shall be responsible for protecting

the confidentiality of the child and any information made available

to such person as a member of the team. The multidisciplinary team

and any information received by the team shall be exempt from the

requirements of Sections 301 through 314 of Title 25 of the Oklahoma

Statutes and Sections 24A.1 through 24A.31 of Title 51 of the

Oklahoma Statutes.