Posts in Mandated Reporter: Youth Services Law

Mandated Reporter Arrested

Posted on January 25, 2021 By Deborah A. Ausburn

Posted In Mandated Reporter

Mandated Reporter Arrested

Another mandated reporter has been arrested for failing to report suspected child abuse to law enforcement. According to this story, a principal in Orlando has been charged with two counts of violating Florida's mandated reporter law. Florida law requires an immediate report of "known or suspected" abuse, and treats failure to report as a felony. This particular principle also is accused of preventing another person from making a report, leading to the second felony charge against him.

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Mandated Reporting Protocol

Posted on September 10, 2020 By Deborah A. Ausburn

Posted In Mandated Reporter

I have received several questions lately from youth organization about what sort of procedure they should have in place for mandated reporting. Each situation is unique, but there are several principles that you can follow.

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Mandated Reporting in a Virtual Environment

Posted on August 25, 2020 By Stephanie Ford Capezzuto

Posted In Child Abuse, Coronavirus, Mandated Reporter, Mandated Reporter Laws

Many Georgia school systems are beginning the 2020-2021 school year in a virtual learning environment. However, the virtual learning environment does not absolve school teachers, school administrators, school counselors, visiting teachers, school social workers, or school psychologists from the mandated reporting requirements for suspected child abuse set forth in O.C.G.A. § 19-7-5. As long as one of these persons has reasonable cause to believe that suspected child abuse has occurred, they must report to the Division of Family and Children Services within 24 hours “from the time there is reasonable cause to believe that suspected abuse has occurred.”

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Mandated Reporting: Unsupervised Children

Posted on February 17, 2020 By Deborah A. Ausburn

Posted In Mandated Reporter

child running in neighborhood across crosswalk

One vexing question in the mandated reporter area is when to report children who appear to have no adults supervising them. It is more difficult than most situations of abuse or neglect because there is a growing body of research that children need unsupervised time to develop into psychologically healthy adults.

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Mandated Reporting: Emotional Abuse

Posted on February 17, 2020 By Deborah A. Ausburn

Posted In Mandated Reporter

mother criticising daughter

One area of mandated reporting that is included in most state statutes but rarely explained is emotional abuse. I see emotional abuse listed often in training programs, but there is little discussion of what it looks like or when to report. I also have seen no prosecutions for failure to report emotional abuse. Nevertheless, emotional abuse is a mandated reporter’s responsibility in most states.

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Mandated Reporting: More Cautionary Tales

Posted on February 10, 2020 By Deborah A. Ausburn

Posted In Mandated Reporter

Teddy Bear hiding eyes

I’ve run across several news reports that illustrate how strictly authorities are applying mandated reporter laws. In this case from Colorado, a stepfather allegedly told a school principal that a school social worker had inappropriately touched a nine-year-old child. I have not been able to find any description of what the stepfather actually said, but the judge stated that “it was very difficult to discern” what the report was. Nevertheless, according to this account, the judge decided that the principal had “reasonable cause” to believe abuse had occurred.

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Mandated Reporting: Neglect

Posted on February 6, 2020 By Deborah A. Ausburn

Posted In Child Protection Policies, Mandated Reporter

Young boy running on road alone to school

One of the most difficult areas to navigate in mandated reporting issues is when to report neglect of a child. The laws are definite that you must report suspected neglect, but no one quite knows how to define it. Georgia, for example, does not define “neglect” in its mandated reporter law, but child protection authorities have adopted the definition from Georgia custody law of “failure to provide proper ... control necessary for a child’s physical, mental, or emotional health or morals.”

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Mandated Reporter Requirements: General Principles

Posted on February 4, 2020 By Deborah A. Ausburn

Posted In Child Protection Policies, Mandated Reporter

Teacher helping students

Every state has its own requirements for mandated reporters, but there are a few general principles underlying all of the various formulations. For example, some states list specific jobs as mandated reporters, while other states list every adult as a mandated reporter. Whatever your state, if you work with minors, you are almost certainly a mandated reporter. You can check the specific requirements for your state on the website for the state child protection authorities, or at this website for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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New North Carolina Mandated Reporting Law

Posted on January 9, 2020 By Deborah A. Ausburn

Posted In Mandated Reporter

North Carolina flag

North Carolina has a new mandated reporting law as of December 1, 2019. It does not change any of the older laws, but adds a new reporting requirement for certain offenses.

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