azapta.org

Aside from the very simple fact that it’s a moral responsibility that is on the shoulders of EVERYONE to report/stop child abuse or neglect, for those who have ever wondered who has a legal mandate here’s a list:

• A doctor, nurse, dentist or any other physical or mental health care professional
• A hospital administrator
• A school principal, teacher or any other teaching professional
• Any owner, operator or employee in a daycare center.
• A guidance counselor
• Anyone whose employment requires or includes the care of a child or children or in whose custody a child is placed – camp counselors, nanny.

How far does the legal obligation stretch? Well, without burdening you with a tangle of almost indecipherable legalese the obligation extends to knowing or suspecting that a child has or will be abused, abandoned or neglected in any way.  The legal obligation super cedes well known precedents like client attorney privilege and doctor patient confidentiality.

So considering how sweeping these obligations are, it should be surprising how often child abuse goes unreported.  And the worst of it is that you just know that there are people who are close to that child – a parent, neighbor, close family member or friend who know what’s happening.

Strange isn’t it, that a legal obligation can sit on an essential stranger but not on a close friend.