(a) The Commissioner or his or her designee may impanel a multidisciplinary team or a special investigative multitask force team or both wherever in the State there may be a probable case of child abuse or neglect which warrants the coordinated use of several professional services. These teams shall participate and cooperate with the local special investigation unit in compliance with 13 V.S.A. § 5415.

(b) The Commissioner or his or her designee, in conjunction with professionals and community agencies, shall appoint members to the multidisciplinary teams which may include persons who are trained and engaged in work relating to child abuse or neglect such as medicine, mental health, social work, nursing, child care, education, law, or law enforcement. The teams shall include a representative of the Department of Corrections. Additional persons may be appointed when the services of those persons are appropriate to any particular case.

(c) The empaneling of a multidisciplinary or special investigative multi-task force team shall be authorized in writing and shall specifically list the members of the team. This list may be amended from time to time as needed as determined by the Commissioner or his or her designee. (Added 1981, No. 207 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. April 25, 1982; amended 2007, No. 168 (Adj. Sess.), § 13; 2007, No. 172 (Adj. Sess.), § 21; 2007, No. 174 (Adj. Sess.), § 17; 2009, No. 1, § 18, eff. March 4, 2009.)