ORS 418.780: Purpose.

(1) The Legislative Assembly recognizes that: (a) Protection of the child is of primary importance. (b) A serious need exists for a coordinated multidisciplinary approach to the prevention and investigation of child abuse, for intervention and for the treatment of children who are victims of child abuse in a manner that is sensitive to the needs of children. No child in this state should be denied access to a child abuse assessment because of an inability to pay. The cost of not assessing and treating abused children with the aid of specially trained personnel is too high. (2) The purpose of ORS 418.746 to 418.801 is to establish and maintain: (a) Sufficient county child abuse multidisciplinary teams to conduct timely investigations of allegations of child abuse and provide comprehensive services to victims of child abuse through coordinated child abuse multidisciplinary intervention plans. (b) Sufficient children’s advocacy centers and regional children’s advocacy centers in Oregon to ensure that every child referred to a center for concerns of neglect or abuse receives a skilled, complete and forensically sound child abuse assessment. (c) Sufficient coordination, expertise and support to provide training and technical assistance to county child abuse multidisciplinary teams. [1991 c.898 §1; 1993 c.33 §331; 1997 c.872 §32; 2001 c.624 §6; 2005 c.562 §4; 2019 c.141 §2]