Senate Bill No. introduced by D. Emrich and T. Manzella establishes new rules of conduct for child protection specialists in Montana. The bill prohibits child protection specialists or applicants for certification from threatening individuals with criminal charges to deter them from contesting matters in child abuse and neglect proceedings. It also prevents them from denying a person the opportunity to become a foster placement or guardian solely based on that person's previous advice or testimony against the department. Additionally, the bill mandates that when coordinating services or evaluations for a parent or child, specialists must utilize unbiased professionals relevant to the needs of the involved parties.

Furthermore, the bill stipulates that any violation of these rules is considered a breach of public duty, allowing parents, guardians, or custodians to file complaints with the Child and Family Ombudsman. The previous provisions related to complaints being filed with the Commissioner of Political Practices and the investigation of such complaints have been removed from the law. The new section is intended to be codified as part of Title 41, Chapter 3, Part 1 of the Montana Code Annotated.

Statutes affected:
LC Text: 2-2-136, 41-3-205
SB0272_1(1): 2-2-136, 41-3-205
SB0272_1(2): 2-2-136, 41-3-205
SB0272_1(3): 2-2-136, 41-3-205
SB0272_1(4): 2-2-136, 41-3-205
SB0272_1(5): 2-2-136, 41-3-205
SB0272_1: 2-2-136, 41-3-205