Beginning March 1, 2021, the Department of Law Enforcement shall provide information to law enforcement officers stating whether a person is a parent or caregiver who is currently the subject of a child protective investigation for alleged child abuse, abandonment, or neglect or is a parent or caregiver of a child who has been allowed to return to or remain in the home under judicial supervision after an adjudication of dependency. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement shall provide this data via a Florida Crime Information Center query into the department’s child protection database.

(1) If a law enforcement officer has an interaction with a parent or caregiver as described in this section and the interaction results in the officer having concern about a child’s health, safety, or well-being, the officer shall report relevant details of the interaction to the central abuse hotline immediately after the interaction even if the requirements of s. 39.201, relating to a person having actual knowledge or suspicion of abuse, abandonment, or neglect, are not met.
(2) The central abuse hotline shall provide any relevant information to:

(a) The child protective investigator, if the parent or caregiver is the subject of a child protective investigation; or

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Terms Used In Florida Statutes 39.0142

  • abandonment: means a situation in which the parent or legal custodian of a child or, in the absence of a parent or legal custodian, the caregiver, while being able, has made no significant contribution to the child's care and maintenance or has failed to establish or maintain a substantial and positive relationship with the child, or both. See Florida Statutes 39.01
  • Abuse: means any willful act or threatened act that results in any physical, mental, or sexual abuse, injury, or harm that causes or is likely to cause the child's physical, mental, or emotional health to be significantly impaired. See Florida Statutes 39.01
  • Caregiver: means the parent, legal custodian, permanent guardian, adult household member, or other person responsible for a child's welfare as defined in subsection (54). See Florida Statutes 39.01
  • Department: means the Department of Children and Families. See Florida Statutes 39.01
  • Parent: means a woman who gives birth to a child and a man whose consent to the adoption of the child would be required under…. See Florida Statutes 39.01
  • person: includes individuals, children, firms, associations, joint adventures, partnerships, estates, trusts, business trusts, syndicates, fiduciaries, corporations, and all other groups or combinations. See Florida Statutes 1.01
  • Protective investigation: means the acceptance of a report alleging child abuse, abandonment, or neglect, as defined in this chapter, by the central abuse hotline or the acceptance of a report of other dependency by the department; the investigation of each report; the determination of whether action by the court is warranted; the determination of the disposition of each report without court or public agency action when appropriate; and the referral of a child to another public or private agency when appropriate. See Florida Statutes 39.01
  • Protective investigator: means an authorized agent of the department who receives and investigates reports of child abuse, abandonment, or neglect; who, as a result of the investigation, may recommend that a dependency petition be filed for the child; and who performs other duties necessary to carry out the required actions of the protective investigation function. See Florida Statutes 39.01
(b) The child’s case manager and the attorney representing the department, if the parent or caregiver has a child under judicial supervision after an adjudication of dependency.