Senate panel adopts amendment and advances bill to clarify hospital mandatory‑reporting duties for suspected child abuse HB1414 would expand and clarify who in hospital settings must report suspected child abuse to local child welfare authorities, set a 24-hour reporting window, and increase statutory penalties for failures to report in institutional settings; the committee adopted clarifying amendments and referred the bill to Finance.

A new bill in Virginia aims to tighten mandatory reporting duties for hospital staff after shocking cases of infant abuse went unreported for weeks.

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#VA #CivicAccountability #VirginiaChildWelfare #ChildAbusePrevention #CitizenPortal #HospitalReporting

House subcommittee forwards overhaul of 'reasonable efforts' in foster-care law after contentious debate A substitute to define and strengthen 'reasonable/active efforts' in Virginia foster-care law was reported and sent to Appropriations after divided committee discussion about Title IV‑E alignment, implementation costs and form changes.

Virginia's child-welfare system faces scrutiny as a new bill aims to redefine "reasonable efforts" for family reunification amidst a staggering 27% success rate.

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#VA #VirginiaChildWelfare #LegalReform #CitizenPortal #ChildProtection #FamilyReunification