COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER; PLAN

(a) The department shall designate one or more department employees to be primarily responsible for communicating with the public regarding the department's powers and duties. Through the use of designated employees, the department shall ensure: (1) effective communications between the department and persons seeking to report abuse or neglect or inquiring about the status of a case; and (2) effective and timely response to questions from the public within the department's confidentiality guidelines. (b) The department shall develop and implement a communication plan to ensure statewide public and government awareness of child abuse or neglect investigated by the department. The plan shall include information detailing the procedure followed by the department during the investigation and the responsibilities of the department in child abuse cases. In implementing the plan, the department shall establish a process for expediting the reporting of child abuse or neglect to the department. The executive commissioner shall adopt rules to implement this subsection.