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February 2010Vol. 11, No. 1State Legislation on Differential Response

As of June 2009, 28 States have enacted differential response legislation, and the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) tracks this legislation on its website. Differential response, sometimes referred to as "dual-track response," "multitrack response," or "alternative response," is an approach that allows child protective services agencies to identify the varying needs and concerns of children and families and tailor their response to reports of child abuse and neglect accordingly.

The NCSL website provides a State-specific chart that lists descriptions of the current/enabling legislation and information pertaining to substantiation, central registries, immunity, confidentiality, and services.

www.ncsl.org/default.aspx?tabid=17800