§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 created pursuant to Section 26-16-52. The guidelines will be supplemental to the existing protective service activities of the children, youth, and family programs of the State of Alabama. Nothing in this section shall be construed to remove or reduce the duty and responsibility of any person to report all suspected or actual cases of child abuse or neglect or sexual abuse of a child pursuant to law. The general role of the teams shall be to support activities of the program and to provide services to abused and neglected children upon referral by the county departments of human resources, or any other agency as set forth in the guidelines and criteria established.

To the extent that resources are available to each of the various teams throughout the state, the functions of the teams shall include, but not be limited to, the following specific functions:

(1) To provide comprehensive medical and psychological programs for the identification and diagnosis of child abuse and for treatment and rehabilitation programs for abused children and their family members.

(2) To provide case service coordination and assistance, including the types and locations of services available to abused children and their family members from other public or private agencies in the community in an effort to provide the fullest range of services while avoiding the duplication of services.

(3) To provide for educational and community awareness campaigns on child abuse and neglect in an effort to enable citizens more successfully to prevent, identify, and report and treat child abuse and neglect victims in the community.

(Acts 1985, No. 85-682, p. 1078, §2.)