Child protection center grant program

1. A child protection center grant program is established in the department in accordance with this section. The department shall establish requirements for the grant program and shall award grants. A grant may be used for establishment of a new center or for support of an existing center. 2. The eligibility requirements for a child protection center grant shall include but are not limited to all of the following: a. A grantee must meet or be in the process of meeting the standards established by the national children’s alliance for children’s advocacy centers. b. A grantee must have in place an interagency memorandum of understanding regarding participation in the operation of the center and for coordinating the activities of the government entities that respond to cases of child abuse in order to facilitate the appropriate disposition of child abuse cases through the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Agencies participating under the memorandum must include the following that are operating in the area served by the grantee: 1. Department of human services county offices assigned to child protection. 2. County and municipal law enforcement agencies. 3. Office of the county attorney. 4. Other government agencies involved with child abuse assessments or service provision. c. The interagency memorandum must provide for a cooperative team approach to responding to child abuse, reducing the number of interviews required of a victim of child abuse, and establishing an approach that emphasizes the best interest of the child and that provides investigation, assessment, and rehabilitative services. d. As necessary to address serious cases of child abuse such as those involving sexual abuse, serious physical abuse, and substance use disorder, a grantee must be able to involve or consult with persons from various professional disciplines who have training and expertise in addressing special types of child abuse. These persons may include but are not limited to physicians and other health care professionals, mental health professionals, social workers, child protection workers, attorneys, juvenile court officers, public health workers, child development experts, child educators, and child advocates. 3. The director shall create a committee to consider grant proposals and to make grant recommendations to the director. The committee membership may include but is not limited to representatives of the following:departments of health and human services and justice, Iowa medical society, Iowa hospital association, Iowa nurses association, and an association representing social workers. 4. Implementation of the grant program is subject to the availability of funding for the grant program. 5. The department shall adopt rules pursuant to chapter 17A to administer this section.