Substitute House Bill No. 5282
          Substitute House Bill No. 5282

              PUBLIC ACT NO. 98-173


AN ACT CONCERNING NOTICE OF CHILD ABUSE.


    Be it enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of
Representatives in General Assembly convened:
    (NEW) (a) Upon  a  substantiated  complaint of
abuse of a  child having a single custodial parent
or a guardian,  the  Department  of  Children  and
Families shall give, when deemed to be in the best
interests  of  the   child,  to  the  noncustodial
parent, custodial parent and guardian of the child
notice of (1)  the circumstances of the complaint,
including the name  of  the  person who caused the
abuse, (2) the  availability  of services from the
department, including, but  not  limited to, child
care subsidies and  emergency  shelter and (3) the
programs of the  Office  of  Victim  Services  and
information on obtaining  a restraining order. The
notice shall also  inform  the recipient that such
child may be  removed  from  the  custody  of  the
custodial parent by the department if such removal
is authorized under the general statutes.
    (b) The notice  required  under subsection (a)
of this section  shall  be  (1) by certified mail,
return   receipt  requested,   directed   to   the
last-known address of  each  recipient  or  (2) by
delivery by an  agent  of  the  department. In the
case of personal  delivery  by  an  agent, written
acknowledgement of such  delivery shall be made by
the recipient.

Approved June 4, 1998