The Identification and Reporting of Child Abuse and Maltreatment Course For Mandated Reporters

Reports are required when a mandated reporter:

>> has reasonable cause to suspect that a child whom the reporter sees in his/her professional capacity is abused or maltreated; or

>> has reasonable cause to suspect that a child is abused or maltreated where the parent or person legally responsible for the child comes before them in his/her professional capacity and states from personal knowledge facts, conditions, or circumstances would render the child abused or maltreated;

>> suspects child abuse or maltreatment while acting in his/her professional capacity as a staff member of a medical or other public or private institution, school, facility, or agency must report any suspicion of child abuse directlyto the Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment, rather than reporting the incident to a supervisor who would then often be expected to report the incident to the State Central Register. (Section 413.1 of the Social Service Law does not require more than one report from the institution, school, facility, or agency on any one incident of suspected abuse or maltreatment.)

A situation could occur in which the staff member is mistaken about the standard of abuse or maltreatment, or about whom a subject of a report may be; the person in charge, or his/her designated agent, could determine that a report need not be made in this situation. Nevertheless, the person in charge - or his/her designated agent - may not prevent the staff member from making a report.