Reporting Child Abuse - California

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California

 

Under the California statue, certain individuals (including teachers and school officials, day care of child care employees, employees of day camps or youth organizations or recreation programs or centers, public assistance workers, district attorneys, case workers, doctors or medical professionals or health care workers, counselors and therapists, coroner, commercial film developers, animal control officers, clergy, law enforcement officer or employees of a police department, alcohol and drug counselors, among several others) are required to report suspected child abuse to any police department, sheriff’s department (but not including school district police or security), county probation department, or the county welfare department. These agencies will also accept reports from persons not named above as mandatory reporters.

The statutes define child abuse or neglect as physical injury or death inflicted upon a child through non-accidental means, the willful harming or endangering of a child, or unlawful corporal punishment. The statues also define neglect, sexual abuse, and willful endangerment of a child.

Links to the specific sections of the official California Penal Code are not available. The mandatory reporting statute is found in Part 4 (PREVENTION OF CRIMES AND APPREHENSION OF CRIMINALS), Title 1 (INVESTIGATION AND CONTROL OF CRIMES AND CRIMINALS), Chapter 2 (Control of Crimes and Criminals), Article 2.5 (Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act), Sections 11164 through 11174.3. To access the entire California Penal Code, follow:

http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=pen&group=11001-12000&file=11164-11174.3

Links to the specific sections summarized above, including definitions, in an unofficial[1] version of the Code online, are available as follows:

http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/cacode/PEN/3/4/1/2/2.5/s11165.9

http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/cacode/HSC/1/d10/4/1/s11165.1

http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/cacode/PEN/3/4/1/2/2.5/s11165.6

http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/cacode/PEN/3/4/1/2/2.5/s11165.2

http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/cacode/PEN/3/4/1/2/2.5/s11165.3

http://codes.lp.findlaw.com/cacode/PEN/3/4/1/2/2.5/s11165.7

Below is a link to a list of California county welfare offices and their contact information:

http://www.calfresh.ca.gov/PG839.htm

Below is a link to and a web address for a PDF of the child abuse reporting hotlines for all counties:

Child Protective Services (CPS) Hotlines:

www.childsworld.ca.gov/res/pdf/CPSEmergNumbers.pdf

Below are links provided by the Department of Social Services regarding reporting child abuse:

http://www.cdss.ca.gov/cdssweb/PG20.htm

http://www.dss.cahwnet.gov/cdssweb/pg93.htm