Public Health Committee
AN ACT CONCERNING THE TIME FOR PARENTAL NOTIFICATION WHEN A CHILD IS ADMITTED TO A HOSPITAL FOR DIAGNOSIS OR TREATMENT OF A MENTAL DISORDER
SUMMARY: This act reduces, from five days to twenty-four hours, the time within which a hospital must notify a parent or guardian of a child (1) age 14 or older or (2) in the custody of the Department of Children and Families (DCF) that the child was admitted for the diagnosis or treatment of a mental disorder without their consent.
The law allows a hospital to admit a child age 14 or older without parental consent if the child agrees in writing. The DCF commissioner can admit any child under her custody to a hospital without going through probate court if (1) the child's legal counsel consents in writing and (2) if age 14 or older, the child agrees.
EFFECTIVE DATE: October 1, 2013
OLR Tracking: ND: JKL: TA: RO