Does your organization work with vulnerable populations such as children and teens? If so, then your employees, volunteers, and board members are most likely mandated reporters and required to report incidents such as abuse, including sexual abuse and molestation, and neglect. Some states even require employees at colleges and universities to report suspected acts of abuse.

What is a mandated reporter? A mandated reporter is someone who is “required to report suspected child maltreatment to an appropriate agency, such as child protective services, a law enforcement agency, or a State’s toll-free abuse reporting hotline.” (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2015). Such individuals, or institutions, normally are allowed to report abuse and neglect confidentially or anonymously and they are not required to prove that an act of abuse has happened. Instead, those who report an incident will be asked to give reasons why they suspect a vulnerable person has been abused or neglected and the state agency will investigate to determine whether or not abuse or neglect has occurred.

Being a mandated reporter is serious business. The failure to report can have a significant impact on an individual, their career, and the organization for which they work. While there are online resources available regarding mandated reporting, training sessions offered by a skilled and knowledgeable professional can help address the numerous questions and scenarios that arise. As your risk management specialists, ENPICA has a training program designed to help your employees, volunteers and board members understand their role and responsibilities as mandated reporters. For more information, please contact us today to make sure you are keeping your students and organization safe.

Source

Some information contained in this email may have been directly quoted or paraphrased from:

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2015). Retrieved from https://www.childwelfare.gov/ topics/systemwide/laws-policies/statutes/manda/.