Reporting : When to Report
As a mandated reporter, you must report abuse:
- When a child under 18 years of age is being seen in a professional capacity and there is reasonable cause to suspect the child is being abused by a legally responsible caregiver. This also applies to an adolescent older than 18 years, who has been defined as having a handicapping condition.
- When a parent or other person legally responsible for a child reports to you from personal knowledge information that, if correct, would indicate that the child has been abused.
- When the child or adolescent reports to you an experience of abuse perpetrated by a legally responsible caregiver.
- When there is reasonable cause to suspect that a parent or other legally responsible person knowingly allows a child to be abused or endangers the welfare of the child in any way.
Each state is responsible for providing its own definitions of child abuse and neglect within the civil and criminal codes. Civil statutes describe the circumstances and conditions that obligate mandated reporters to report known or suspected cases of abuse. They also provide definitions necessary for determination of child dependency in juvenile/family court. Criminal statutes specify the forms of maltreatment that are criminally punishable. For more information see the Information Gateway State Statutes Series https://www.childwelfare.gov/resources/states-territories-tribes/state-statutes/.
Definitions of Abuse
The following definitions of child abuse from the Child Welfare Information Gateway are offered as a reference. https://www.childwelfare.gov/resources/definitions-child-abuse-and-neglect/.
- Physical Abuse
- Physical abuse is characterized by the infliction of physical injury because of punching, beating, kicking, biting, burning, shaking, or otherwise harming a child.
- Child Neglect
- Child neglect is characterized by failure to provide for the child's basic needs. Neglect can be physical, educational, or emotional.
- Sexual Abuse
- Sexual abuse includes fondling a child's genitals, intercourse, incest, rape, sodomy, exhibitionism, and commercial exploitation through prostitution or the production of pornographic materials. The American Academy of Pediatrics defines sexual abuse as "the engaging of a child in sexual activities that the child cannot comprehend, for which the child is developmentally unprepared and cannot give informed consent, and/or that violate the social and legal taboos of society."
- Emotional Abuse
- Emotional abuse (psychological/verbal abuse/mental injury) includes acts or omissions by the parents or other caregivers that have caused, or could cause, serious behavioral, cognitive, emotional, or mental disorders. Six forms of psychological maltreatment are described by the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children and include spurning, exploiting/corrupting, terrorizing, denying emotional responsiveness, isolating, and unwarranted denial of mental health care, medical care or education.
- Medical Child Abuse
- Medical child abuse is the name for a subset of factitious disorders in which a caregiver simulates or produces an illness in a child to enhance their role as caregiver.
Need to Report Cause of Death
If there is reasonable cause to suspect that a child died as a result of child abuse, report that fact to the appropriate medical examiner or coroner.
