Terms Used In Vermont Statutes Title 33 Sec. 4911

  • Assessment: means a response to a report of child abuse or neglect that focuses on the identification of the strengths and support needs of the child and the family and any services they may require to improve or restore their well-being and to reduce the risk of future harm. See
  • Child: means an individual under the age of majority. See
  • Child Protection Registry: means a record of all investigations that have resulted in a substantiated report on or after January 1, 1992. See
  • Investigation: means a response to a report of child abuse or neglect that begins with the systematic gathering of information to determine whether the abuse or neglect has occurred and, if so, the appropriate response. See
  • Registry record: means an entry in the Child Protection Registry that consists of the name of an individual substantiated for child abuse or neglect, the date of the finding, the nature of the finding, and at least one other personal identifier, other than a name, listed in order to avoid the possibility of misidentification. See

§ 4911. Purpose

The purpose of this subchapter is to:

(1) protect children whose health and welfare may be adversely affected through abuse or neglect;

(2) strengthen the family and make the home safe for children whenever possible by enhancing the parental capacity for good child care;

(3) provide a temporary or permanent nurturing and safe environment for children when necessary; and for these purposes require the reporting of suspected child abuse and neglect, an assessment or investigation of such reports and provision of services, when needed, to such child and family;

(4) establish a range of responses to child abuse and neglect that take into account different degrees of child abuse or neglect and that recognize that child offenders should be treated differently from adults; and

(5) establish a tiered child protection registry that balances the need to protect children and the potential employment consequences of a registry record for persons who are substantiated for child abuse and neglect. (Added 1981, No. 207 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. April 25, 1982; amended 2007, No. 168 (Adj. Sess.), § 1.)