Reporting Child Abuse - Virginia

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Virginia

Under Virginia law, certain professionals (including licensed medical professionals and other health care professionals, social worker, probation officer, teacher or school administrator, child care providers, mental health professionals, law enforcement officers, mediators, court appointed advocates, athletic coaches, athletic directors or others over the age of 18 including employees or volunteers with private sports organizations, administrators and persons over the age of 18 employed by public or private day camps, youth centers or youth recreation programs, and others, individuals associated with or employed by any public organization responsible for the care, custody, or control of children and any person employed by a public or private institution of higher education (other than an attorney employed by a public or private institution of higher education) are required to report known or suspected child abuse within twenty four hours to the local department of social services in the city or county where the child resides or where the abuse is believed to be occurring by calling the child abuse hotline. Any other person not specifically listed in the statute may make a report of known or suspected child abuse to the local department of social services. Failure to report is a misdemeanor.

Abuse is defined to include physical or mental injury, neglect, and sexual abuse.Under Virginia law, certain professionals (including licensed medical professionals and other health care professionals, social worker, probation officer, teacher or school administrator, child care providers, mental health professionals, law enforcement officers, mediators, court appointed advocates, athletic coaches, athletic directors or others over the age of 18 including employees or volunteers with private sports organizations, administrators and persons over the age of 18 employed by public or private day camps, youth centers or youth recreation programs, and others,) are required to report known or suspected child abuse within twenty four hours to the local department of social services in the city or county where the child resides or where the abuse is believed to be occurring by calling the child abuse hotline. Any other person not specifically listed in the statute may make a report of known or suspected child abuse to the local department of social services. Failure to report is a misdemeanor.

Abuse is defined to include physical or mental injury, neglect, and sexual abuse. To access the entire child abuse reporting chapter of the official Virginia Code online, follow:

http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+TOC63020000015000000000000

To access the specific sections summarized above in the official Virginia Code online, follow:

http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+63.2-1509

http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+63.2-1510

http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+63.2-100

http://leg1.state.va.us/cgi-bin/legp504.exe?000+cod+63.2-1503

For more information, visit the Virginia department of social services website at:

http://www.dss.virginia.gov/about/abuse.html

http://www.dss.virginia.gov/family/cps/index2.cgi

For a list of local department’s follow:

http://www.dss.virginia.gov/localagency/

Report Child Abuse/Neglect to Child Protective Services (CPS)

In Virginia: (800) 552-7096 Out-of-state: (804) 786-8536 Hearing-impaired: (800) 828-1120