Did you know that SARCC has four staff members who are trained to provide an act 126 certified mandated reporter training? This means that any professionals in the community who are required to get training because of their employment related to education, medical fields, human services, or social work can have a live, in person training on how to identify and report child abuse. To answer any questions that you may have about who is required to report child abuse in Pennsylvania, we have a brief list of frequently asked questions that come up during our mandated reporter training.
What is child abuse?
A person commits child abuse, when they intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly cause harm to a child through an act or failure to act that falls under one of 10 categories in Pennsylvania. These include:
- Causing bodily injury to a child through any recent act or failure to act.
- Fabricating, feigning or intentionally exaggerating or inducing a medical symptom or disease which results in a potentially harmful medical evaluation or treatment to the child through any recent act.
- Causing or substantially contributing to serious mental injury to a child through any act or failure to act or a series of such acts or failures to act.
- Causing sexual abuse or exploitation of a child through any act or failure to act.
- Creating a reasonable likelihood of bodily injury to a child through any recent act or failure to act.
- Creating a likelihood of sexual abuse or exploitation of a child through any recent act or failure to act.
- Causing serious physical neglect of a child.
- Causing the death of the child through any act or failure to act.
- Engaging a child in a severe form of trafficking in persons or sex trafficking, as those terms are defined under section 103 of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (114 Stat. 1466, 22 U.S.C. § 7102 ).
- Specific “per se “acts of abuse against children
it’s important to remember that if your gut is telling you that something is not right, you can act in favor of children and their safety. You do not need to have proof of the ax listed above in order to make a report.
Who is required to report child abuse?
First of all, it’s important to note that you do not need to be a mandated reporter in order to make a report of suspected child abuse. Anyone from any background with any knowledge that leads them to suspect that abuse of a child has occurred can call child line to report Suspected abuse. Some community members because of their jobs, volunteer commitments, or connections to organizations or professions that serve children or maybe in contact with information that could inform an investigation about child abuse are required under the law to report suspected abuse. These folks are called mandated reporters.
Who can perpetrate child abuse?
Child abuse can be committed by an adult, child, or teen. While the age of the person who committed the abusive act may affect how the abuse is investigated, the age of the person should not matter when making a report of suspected abuse. Over 90% of child, sexual abuse victims knew the person who committed the crime against them. People who perpetrate child abuse are often known and trusted to both the child and they’re not offending family members.
What happens after a report is made?
After a report is made to child line by calling their designated number or submitting a report online through the child abuse reporting portal, the information that is submitted is evaluated and then send to either law-enforcement or local child protective services agencies to investigate. In some cases, both law-enforcement and child protective services May investigate the alleged abuse at the same time. Some reports of suspected abuse may not meet the criteria for referring to child protective services, and may instead be referred to general protective services which offers support, counseling, and opportunities for families to build safe environments for children. If you have made a report of child abuse and are wondering what the outcome of the case was, you can use the reference number that you receive when you make a report to follow up and find out more information about the status of the report.
How can I help a child in the moment of a disclosure?
In our mandated reporter training, we teach mandated reporters the SSABER me method for responding to disclosures of child abuse. Stay calm, offer support, affirm the child’s decision to tell someone, believe the child and remind them that it is not their fault, empower the child by reminding them that they have the right to be safe, and, finally, report the suspected abuse.
If you would like more information about how to bring mandated reporter training or general training for preventing child abuse to your school, organization, workplace, or community group contact SARCC by emailing info@sarccheals.org or to connect with a sexual assault counselor call one of our hotline at
(717-272–5308) or (570–628–2965).
