235A.13 Definitions.

As used in chapter 232, division III, part 2, and this subchapter, unless the context otherwise requires:

1. “Assessment data” means any of the following information pertaining to the department’s evaluation of a family:

a. Identification of the strengths and needs of the child, and of the child’s parent, home, and family.

b. Identification of services available from the department and informal and formal services and other support available in the community to meet identified strengths and needs.

2. “Child abuse information” means any or all of the following data maintained by the department in a manual or automated data storage system and individually identified:

a. Report data.

b. Assessment data.

c. Disposition data.

3. “Confidentiality” means the withholding of information from any manner of communication, public or private.

4. “Department” means the department of human services.

5. “Disposition data” means information pertaining to an opinion or decision as to the occurrence of child abuse, including:

a. Any intermediate or ultimate opinion or decision reached by assessment personnel.

b. Any opinion or decision reached in the course of judicial proceedings.

c. The present status of any case.

6. “Expungement” means the process of destroying child abuse information.

7. “Individually identified” means any report, assessment, or disposition data which names the person or persons responsible or believed responsible for the child abuse.

8. “Multidisciplinary team” means a group of individuals who possess knowledge and skills related to the diagnosis, assessment, and disposition of child abuse cases and who are professionals practicing in the disciplines of medicine, nursing, public health, substance abuse, domestic violence, mental health, social work, child development, education, law, juvenile probation, or law enforcement, or a group established pursuant to section 235B.1, subsection 1.

9. “Near fatality” means an injury to a child that, as certified by a physician, placed the child in serious or critical condition.

10. “Report data” means any of the following information pertaining to an assessment of an allegation of child abuse in which the department has determined the alleged child abuse meets the definition of child abuse:

a. The name and address of the child and the child’s parents or other persons responsible for the child’s care.

b. The age of the child.

c. The nature and extent of the injury, including evidence of any previous injury.

d. Additional information as to the nature, extent, and cause of the injury, and the identity of the person or persons alleged to be responsible for the injury.

e. The names and conditions of other children in the child’s home.

f. A recording made of an interview conducted under chapter 232 in association with a child abuse assessment.

g. Any other information believed to be helpful in establishing the information in paragraph “d”.

11. “Sealing” means the process of removing child abuse information from authorized access as provided by this chapter.

[C75, 77, 79, 81, §235A.13; 82 Acts, ch 1066, §1]

84 Acts, ch 1035, §2; 87 Acts, ch 153, §9; 87 Acts, ch 182, §1; 92 Acts, ch 1143, §2; 97 Acts, ch 35, §13, 25; 97 Acts, ch 176, §6, 7, 27 – 31, 43; 99 Acts, ch 96, §26; 2000 Acts, ch 1137, §5, 14; 2002 Acts, ch 1074, §2; 2003 Acts, ch 44, §51; 2003 Acts, ch 62, §1; 2004 Acts, ch 1153, §3; 2018 Acts, ch 1041, §122

Referred to in §135.43, 232.68, 232.71B, 235A.12, 331.909

For additional definitions, see §232.68

Unnumbered paragraph 1 amended