Reporting Child Abuse - Pennsylvania

Print

Pennsylvania

Under Pennsylvania law, certain professionals (including doctors and health care professionals, clergy, school employees and officials, social workers, child care providers, law enforcement officials, among others) who discover child abuse or suspect child abuse in the course of their professional responsibilities, are required to report such abuse by telephone to the department of public welfare or to the county children and youth social service agency, and must be followed by a written report within forty-eight hours. Any other person not specifically listed by statute may report known or suspected child abuse.

Abuse is defined to include physical, mental or sexual abuse.

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

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/CT/HTM/23/00.063.011.000..HTM

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/CT/HTM/23/00.063.003.000..HTM

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/CT/HTM/23/00.063.012.000..HTM

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/CT/HTM/23/00.063.013.000..HTM

http://www.legis.state.pa.us/WU01/LI/LI/CT/HTM/23/23.HTM (sections 6303-6319)

For more information of reporting child abuse in Pennsylvania, follow:

http://www.dpw.state.pa.us/forchildren/childwelfareservices/calltoreportchildabuse!/index.htm

Contact information for each local children and youth agency can be found at:

http://www.pcya.org/Pages/ContactYourAgency.aspx

To report child abuse in Pennsylvania, call the ChildLine Hotline at:

800-932-0313 (TDD: 866-872-1677)