Bill Text: NJ A2613 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires certain psychiatric facilities to contact Division of Child Protection and Permanency if minor is to be discharged and parent or guardian is unable or unwilling to remove minor from facility.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2014-02-20 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Human Services Committee [A2613 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-A2613-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman RONALD S. DANCER
District 12 (Burlington, Middlesex, Monmouth and Ocean)
SYNOPSIS
Requires certain psychiatric facilities to contact Division of Child Protection and Permanency if minor is to be discharged and parent or guardian is unable or unwilling to remove minor from facility.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning civil commitment to treatment of minors and supplementing P.L.1987, c.116 (C.30:4-27.1 et seq.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. If a psychiatric facility, special psychiatric hospital, or children's crisis intervention service determines that a minor, who has been admitted to the facility, hospital, or service to determine whether, pursuant to the Rules of Court, the minor is in need of involuntary commitment to treatment or eligible for admission by a parent or other person standing in loco parentis, is eligible for discharge and a parent or the legal guardian of the minor is unable or unwilling to remove the minor from the facility, hospital or service, the facility, hospital, or service, as applicable, shall contact the Division of Child Protection and Permanency in the Department of Children and Families, which shall take such action as necessary to insure the safety of the minor.
As used in this section:
"Children's crisis intervention service" means a community-based acute care inpatient psychiatric service designated by the Commissioner of Human Services to provide assessment, crisis stabilization, evaluation, and treatment to children in need of involuntary commitment to treatment or eligible for parental admission or voluntary admission.
"Minor" means a person under 18 years of age.
2. This act shall take effect on the first day of the fourth month next following the date of enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill concerns minors who are being evaluated in a psychiatric facility, special psychiatric hospital, or children's crisis intervention service for civil commitment, and are determined to be eligible for discharge rather than in need of commitment to treatment.
Specifically, the bill provides that if a psychiatric facility, special psychiatric hospital, or children's crisis intervention service determines that a minor (a person under 18 years of age), who has been admitted to determine whether, pursuant to the Rules of Court governing civil commitment to treatment of minors (R.4:74-7A), the minor is in need of involuntary commitment to treatment or eligible for admission by a parent or other person standing in loco parentis, is eligible for discharge and the minor's parent or legal guardian is unable or unwilling to remove the minor, the facility, hospital, or service must contact the Division of Child Protection and Permanency in the Department of Children and Families, which must take such action as necessary to insure the safety of the minor.
