Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 104 Part 6.djvu/414

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104 STAT. 4804 PUBLIC LAW 101-647—NOV. 29, 1990 multidisciplinary child abuse team and other appropriate sources to ' determine the impact of the offense on the child victim and any other children who may have been affected. A guardian ad litem appointed under subdivision (h) shall make every effort to obtain and report information that accurately expresses the child's and the family s views concerning the child's victimization. A guardian ad litem shall use forms that permit the child to express the child's views concerning the personal consequences of the child's victimization, at a level and in a form of communication commensurate with the child's age and ability. " (g) USE OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY CHILD ABUSE TEAMS.— InteiTgovernmental "(1) IN GENERAL. —A multidisciplinary child abuse team shall relations. be used when it is feasible to do so. The court shall work with State and local governments that have established multidisciplinary child abuse teams designed to assist child victims and child witnesses, and the court and the attorney for the government shall consult with the multidisciplinary child abuse team as appropriate. "(2) ROLE OF MULTIDISCIPLINARY CHILD ABUSE TEAMS.—The role of the multidisciplinary child abuse team shall be to provide for a child services that the members of the team in their professional roles are capable of providing, including— "(A) medical diagnoses and evaluation services, including provision or interpretation of x-rays, laboratory tests, and related services, as needed, and documentation of findings; "(B) telephone consultation services in emergencies and in other situations; "(C) medical evaluations related to abuse or neglect; "(D) psychological and psychiatric diagnoses and evaluation services for the child, parent or parents, guardian or guardians, or other caregivers, or any other individual involved in a child victim or child witness case; "(E) expert medical, psychological, and related professional testimony; "(F) case service coordination and assistance, including the location of services available from public and private agencies in the community; and "(G) training services for judges, litigators, court officers and others that are involved in child victim and child witness cases, in handling child victims and child witnesses. "(h) GUARDIAN AD LITEM.— "(1) IN GENERAL.—The court may appoint a guardian ad litem for a child who was a victim of, or a witness to, a crime involving abuse or exploitation to protect the best interests of the child. In making the appointment, the court shall consider a prospective guardian's background in, and familiarity with, the judicial process, social service programs, and child abuse issues. The guardian ad litem shall not be a person who is or may be a witness in a proceeding involving the child for whom the guardian is appointed. "(2) DUTIES OF GUARDIAN AD LITEM. — A guardian ad litem may ^ attend all the depositions, hearings, and trial proceedings in which a child participates, and make recommendations to the court concerning the welfare of the child. The guardian ad litem may have access to all reports, evaluations and records, except ^ attorney's work product, necessary to effectively advocate for the child. (The extent of access to grand jury materials is