The York County District Attorney's Child Abuse Unit was created in January of 1990 and was developed to handle all criminal complaints involving child victims (under age 18). The unit initially consisted of a full-time Child Abuse Prosecutor and a full-time Child Abuse Coordinator.
[Adopted 1-1-1990]
The goal was to develop a cooperative, coordinated approach to the investigation and prosecution of child abuse cases, utilizing a multidisciplinary approach, which included law enforcement, children and youth services, health and related agencies.
To achieve this goal, the unit began by working with the York County Police Departments to designate child abuse investigators in each Department. Training was then provided to these investigators through the District Attorney's Office. This same procedure was followed in our three local hospitals, where identified physicians, willing to examine abused children, were assisted by qualified trainers.
The next step was solidifying the relationship with the Children and Youth Agency. The Child Abuse Unit set up referral procedures and an interview protocol to ensure that children are interviewed, jointly, by the District Attorney, the police officer and Children and Youth Services. Also developed was a Court School Program to familiarize child victims and their families with the court process. Court School is run every other month for approximately 1 1/2 hours. The program consists of a judge, a prosecutor, a defense attorney and a victim advocate who explain their roles and describe what happens in court. All of these efforts have proved very successful in investigating and prosecuting child abuse cases.
The unit presently consist of two full-time prosecutors, a Unit Coordinator, a County Detective, a paralegal, a clerical support person and a Special Projects Coordinator. The Special Projects Coordinator and clerical support person are both match grant positions. All other positions are paid out of the county general fund.
A.
In response to a steadily rising number of childhood fatalities and serious nonfatal injuries of children in York County, the District Attorney's Child Abuse Unit began the process of establishing the York County Child Death Review Team. This team process will be extended to include children with serious, nonfatal trauma. The Special Projects Coordinator, a registered nurse of the Child Abuse Unit, will be developing and chairing the team.
B.
A Child Death Review Team is a multiagency, multidisciplinary process to routinely and systematically review circumstances surrounding a child death and/or injury. The team is comprised of representatives from a variety of professional disciplines and governmental agencies. Each team member will participate because of his or her agency mandate, professional responsibility and commitment to the health, safety and well-being of children.
C.
Team members include the following: the District Attorney's Office Child Abuse Unit, County Coroner or Medical Examiner, public health official, local law enforcement official(s), a representative from Children and Youth Services and various physicians from the medical community. The team will be responsible for reviewing all child deaths in York County, with emphasis on suspicious injury deaths and serious nonfatal trauma. The review team will provide a method to develop specifically targeted, local prevention strategies, based on local fatality/injury patterns; improve the investigation and reporting of injuries and deaths in a timely fashion; ensure the coordination and cooperation among all agencies so as to increase the efficiency of these agencies handling such cases; create an opportunity for a systematic review of agency actions (and inactions); and develop protocols for autopsies and death scene investigations of children.
D.
The team will meet on an emergency basis after being notified of a suspicious child death and on a bimonthly or quarterly basis to review other deaths and injuries. By studying trends and patterns of child deaths and injuries, the York community will be able to develop and implement preventive measures. This will result in the York community's increased commitment and ability to protect children.
A.
Priority I.
(1)
Priority I incident includes the following:
B.
Priority II.
(2)
The Children and Youth worker will ensure that CY-104's are completed and forwarded to the appropriate police jurisdiction with a copy to the Child Abuse Unit Coordinator in the District Attorney's Office, within five days after the initial receipt of the report.[2]
(3)
Upon receipt of the report of abuse, the Child Abuse Unit will evaluate the initial report and, if appropriate, coordinate a complete interview of the victim. The interview will be arranged in as short a period of time as feasible for all parties.
C.
Unfounded reports should be forwarded to the appropriate Police Department, and a copy to the District Attorney's Office.
A.
Priority I.
(1)
Child victim interviews.
(a)
The District Attorney's Office will schedule the child interview with the appropriate police officer and the Children and Youth worker, as soon as possible. This interview should serve as the primary investigative interview of the child.
(b)
This meeting should also serve as the multidisciplinary team meeting on the specific case.
(c)
Initial interviews with child victims, under the age of five, will be conducted at the Children and Youth Agency with the police officer and a member of the unit staff observing.
(2)
Perpetrator interviews.
(a)
On any case in which the child is not at risk, the Children and Youth Worker will allow the police officer the opportunity to interrogate the perpetrator prior to any Children and Youth contact.
(b)
On cases where it is necessary for immediate Children and Youth Agency contact with the perpetrator, the Children and Youth worker will contact the police officer and arrange for the officer to accompany him or her, if possible; if not, the worker may proceed without the officer.
(c)
The Child Abuse Unit will make every effort to notify the Children and Youth worker of any updates regarding the police investigation.
B.
Cases of serious bodily injury, no hospitalization. The MDT will take place within seven working days. The Children and Youth worker will:
(1)
Contact all professionals known to have information pertaining to the child and the family. At a minimum, it shall include an examining physician, nurse and hospital social worker.
(2)
Contact the Child Abuse Law Enforcement Coordinator in the District Attorney's Office, who will notify the assigned police officer and Special Child Abuse Prosecutor.
C.
Cases where a child has been hospitalized.
(1)
The MDT will be held at the hospital within five working days after the date the child was admitted to that hospital. The Children and Youth worker will notify the hospital social worker, who will arrange for medical personnel to be present.
(2)
The Children and Youth worker will also contact the Child Abuse Law Enforcement Coordinator in the District Attorney's Office, who will notify the investigating officer and Special Child Abuse Prosecutor.
D.
Sexual abuse cases involving intercourse or involuntary deviate sexual intercourse. The Children and Youth caseworker will:
(1)
Contact all professionals known to have information about the children and the family. At a minimum, it shall include a school representative and the examining physician.
(2)
Contact the Child Abuse Law Enforcement Coordinator, who will notify the investigating officer and the Special Prosecutor.
E.
In all other cases where the Children and Youth Services' risk assessment model determines the child to be at high risk of further maltreatment, an MDT may be called at the discretion and consensus of the Children and Youth Agency, law enforcement and any other professional who has direct knowledge of the child and the family.