Reporting Child Abuse - Georgia

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Georgia

Under Georgia law, certain individuals and professionals (including doctors and other health care professionals and employees, mental health professionals, school teachers and administrators, counselors, child welfare employees, clergy and law enforcement personnel) who know of or have reasonable cause to believe a child is being abused are required to report such abuse or suspected abuse by telephone, and followed by written report if required, to the Department of Human Services or where no such department exists, to an appropriate police authority or district attorney. Any other person or professional not specifically listed may report any known abuse or reasonably suspected abuse to the Department of Human Services or where no such department exists, to an appropriate police authority or district attorney.

Abuse is defined as physical injury or death not caused by accident, neglect, exploitation, sexual abuse, or sexual exploitation of the child.

end_of_the_skype_highlightingLinks to the specific sections of the official Georgia Code online are not available. The mandatory reporting statute is found in Title 19 (Domestic Relations), Chapter 7 (Parent and Child Relationship Generally), Article 1 (General Provisions), Section 19-7-5. To access the entire Georgia Chapter on Child Abuse, follow:

http://www.lexisnexis.com/hottopics/gacode/Default.asp

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

http://law.justia.com/codes/georgia/2010/title-19/chapter-7/article-1/19-7-5/

The Georgia Department of Human Services Division of Family and Children Services webs site has information on reporting child abuse in Georgia:

http://dfcs.dhs.georgia.gov/portal/site/DHS-DFCS/menuitem.5d32235bb09bde9a50c8798dd03036a0/?vgnextoid=213a2b48d9a4ff00VgnVCM100000bf01010aRCRD

County listing of contact information for local Department of Human Services Division of Family & Children Services:

http://dfcs.dhs.georgia.gov/county-offices