Guam § 13301 - Authorization for Department to Act.

§ 13301. Authorization for Department to Act.

(a) The Department shall establish a “Child Protective Services”. It shall have a sufficient staff to

fulfill the purposes of this Chapter and organized in such a way as to minimize the continuity of

responsibility, care and services of individual workers toward individual children and families. Child

Protective Services and the Guam Police Department shall be the sole agencies responsible for receiving

and investigating all reports of child abuse or neglect made pursuant to this Chapter, specifically including

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but not limited to reports of child abuse or neglect in facilities operated by the Department and other public

agencies, for the purpose of providing protective services to prevent further abuses to children and to

provide or arrange for and monitor the provision of those services necessary to safeguard and ensure the

child’s well-being and development and to preserve and stabilize family life wherever appropriate.

(b) Upon receiving a report that a child has been harmed or is subject to threatened harm, Child

Protective Services shall cause such investigation to be made in accordance with this Chapter as it deems

to be appropriate. In conducting the investigation Child Protective Services may require the cooperation of

police officers or other appropriate law enforcement authorities for phases of the investigation for which

they are better equipped and Child Protective Services may conduct a criminal history record check

concerning an alleged perpetrator of harm or threatened harm to a child.

(c) Upon satisfying itself as to the course of action to be pursued, Child Protective Services shall:

(1) Resolve the matter in such informal fashion as is appropriate under the circumstances;

(2) Seek to enter into a service plan, without filing a petition in court, with such members of the

child’s family and such other authorized agencies as Child Protective Services deems to be necessary

to the success of the service plan, including but not limited to the member or members of the child’s

family who have legal custody of the child;

(3) Assume protective custody of the child pursuant to § 13302;

(4) File a petition; or

(5) Relinquish its protective custody and return the child to his or her legal custodian.

(d) Child Protective Services shall make available among its services for the prevention and treatment

of child abuse or neglect multidisciplinary teams, instruction in education for parenthood, protective and

preventive social counseling, emergency caretaker services and emergency shelter care, emergency medical

services and the establishment of group organized by former abusing or neglecting persons and encourage

self-reporting and self-treatment of present abusers.