This bill mandates the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to create policies and procedures for detecting and investigating child abuse and neglect, as well as promoting prevention techniques during public health emergencies that require social distancing and restrictions on person-to-person contact. The policies will include publicizing the DCF's State Central Registry and hotline for reporting abuse, allowing child protective investigators and permanency workers to conduct some duties remotely, and providing families with access to services through remote means. Additionally, the DCF is tasked with preparing and disseminating educational materials about child abuse and neglect, and regularly reviewing the state's reporting requirements to enhance detection and investigation efforts during such emergencies.

Furthermore, the bill requires the DCF, in collaboration with the Department of Education (DOE), to launch a public awareness campaign focused on protecting children from abuse during public health emergencies. The DCF will also collect and analyze data on child abuse reports made during the COVID-19 pandemic and issue a report to the Governor and Legislature within a year. The DOE and DCF will develop an online training program for school employees on detecting and preventing child abuse, which will be available free of charge to all school districts. During public health emergencies, school districts will be required to provide remote access to support services and behavioral health assessments for at-risk students.