Mandated reporters are required to make a report of suspected abuse when they have reasonable cause to suspect that a child is a victim of child abuse under any of the following circumstances:

• They have contact with the child as part of work or through a regularly scheduled program activity or service OR
• They are responsible for the child or work/volunteer for an agency that is directly responsible for the child OR
• Someone makes a specific disclosure to the mandated reporter and the child is identifiable. This includes children that the mandated reporter may not know through their work or volunteer position OR
• A person 14 years old or older makes a disclosure that he/she has committee child abuse. This includes children that the mandated reporter may not know through their work or volunteer position.

The child does NOT have to come before the mandated reporter in order for the mandated reporter to make a report of suspected child abuse.

Mandated reporters must not try to determine whether abuse has happened. They are not investigators and should not ask questions about what happened, who did it, and so forth beyond reaching the threshold of reasonable cause to suspect that the child has been abused.

Mandated reporters are required to report suspected child abuse immediately to ChildLine by:

If the mandated reporter makes the report by calling ChildLine, they must follow up that report within 48 hours with a completed written form called a CY-47, which is a Report of Suspected Child Abuse.  This form should be sent to the county children and youth agency where the alleged abuse allegation occurred.

The CY-47 form is not required if an electronic report is made in lieu of a call to ChildLine.  The electronic report serves as both the oral and written report.