Reporting Child Abuse - Maine

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Maine

Under Maine law, certain individuals (including doctors and other health care professional and employees, teachers and school officials, youth camp counselors or administrators, social workers, court appointed advocates, mental health professionals, commercial film developers, law enforcement officers, code enforcement officials, clergy, sexual or domestic assault counselors, and school bus drivers, among others) are required to report known or suspected child abuse to the department of child and family services by telephone or to the district attorney if the person causing the abuse is not the child’s parent or legal guardian. Any person not specifically listed by statute may report known or suspected abuse to the department of child and family services or the local district attorney.

Child abuse is defined to include physical, mental, emotional or sexual abuse, exploitation, or neglect of the child’s essential needs.

To access the specific sections summarized above in the official Maine Code online, including any relevant definitions, follow:

http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/22/title22sec4002.html

http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/22/title22sec4011-A.html

http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/22/title22sec4011-B.html

http://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/22/title22ch1071sec0.html

For valuable information on reporting abuse in Maine, including links for mandatory reporters, links to Maine’s statutes, and training information, as well as tips on how to spot abuse, go to Maine’s Department of Children and Family Services website at:

http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ocfs/cw/reporting_abuse.shtml

http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ocfs/cps/

http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/mandated_reporters.shtml

http://www.maine.gov/dhhs/ocfs/abuse.htm

To report Child Abuse in Maine 24 hours a day, call:

1-800-452-1999 (Voice)

1-800-963-9490 (TTY)