Karly`s Act was first introduced in 2007 as House Bill 3328. It was created following the death of Karly Sheehan in 2005. Karly was a three-year-old girl who died from neglect and abuse by her mother`s boyfriend, Shawn Wesley Field. Her situation was brought to the attention of the Department of Health and Social Services, as well as law enforcement, who questioned Karly`s mother, father and partner twice, concluding that her injuries were not due to child abuse. [2] Since 2008, Karly`s Law has helped thousands of Oregon children undergo medical examinations and treatment related to alleged abuse. Karly was a three-year-old girl from Corvallis who died from abuse after the allegations were not verified. Karly`s law states that Oregon children who present suspected bodily injury as part of a child abuse investigation must receive medical attention within 48 hours. NOTE: The quiz part button will appear below the video once it is finished. To promote a basic understanding of the law and its requirements, the Oregon Network of Child Abuse Intervention Centers and the Oregon Department of Justice have created an educational video titled “What You Need to Know About Karly`s Law.” The video is intended for members of the Oregon Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) and all members of a MDT member agency involved in child abuse investigations.
The bill was proposed and sponsored by MP Sara Gelser in 2007. It passed the Oregon House of Representatives on September 30. In April 2007, it was unanimously referred to the Oregon State Senate Human Services Committee. [3] The Oregon Senate also passed the bill unanimously, and it was sent back to the House of Representatives with minor clarification changes. The House of Representatives passed these amendments and Governor Ted Kulongoski signed them. [4] After the passage of Karly`s Law, the number of children convicted of abuse in the state of Oregon increased by 140%. [1] This does not mean an increase in child abuse rates in the state of Oregon, but simply that the number of children screened for possible child abuse violations has increased. In 2009, Oregon recorded a total of 67,885 reports of child abuse and neglect.
Of these, 28,584 reports were forwarded for investigation. [6] Prior to the introduction of HR 3328 in 2007, these figures were as follows: 46,524 total referrals for child abuse and neglect, 23,529 were referred for investigation in 2004. [7] To promote a basic understanding of Karly`s Law and its requirements, the Oregon Network of Child Abuse Intervention Centers and the Oregon Department of Justice created a training video titled “What You Need to Know About Karly`s Law” for members of the Oregon Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) and all members of an MDT member agency involved in child abuse investigations. This video is made possible with funding from the Child Justice Act Working Group Subcommittee of the Child Welfare Advisory Council. (You may need to install Adobe Flash to run the video. The landing page of this video includes an Install button to install Adobe Flash.). (Information from www.doj.state.or.us/victims/pages/karlys_law.aspx) Suspicious injuries should be treated according to Karly`s law. Click the PLAY button below to start the video. Please note that we recommend that you allow 30 minutes for the training. You can pause the video, but you don`t have to fast forward to access the quiz or return to the same place when you close your browser. If you are new to collaborative child maltreatment training, you may be interested in live online training. Karly`s law imposes specific requirements on law enforcement agencies, Department of Human Services (DHS) personnel, and designated medical providers who have received specialized training to assess injuries that may have been caused by child abuse.
Karly`s law is named after a 3-year-old girl from Corvallis who died as a result of abuse after the allegations were not verified. The law states that Oregon children who present suspected bodily injury during a child abuse investigation must receive medical attention within 48 hours. Since 2008, Karly`s Law has helped thousands of Oregon children receive medical care and support related to alleged abuse.