1. Mandated Reporter
Training
Department of Human Services
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2. Topics covered in training today
 Who should report child maltreatment?
 Who is mandated to report child
maltreatment?
 How/where do you report?
 Will anyone know that you made the
report to the Child Abuse Hotline?
 What are the time frames for reporting?
 What happens if a mandated reporter
doesn’t report? 2

3. Who should report Child
Maltreatment?
 Any person may immediately notify the
Child Abuse Hotline if he or she
 Has reasonable cause to suspect that child
maltreatment has occurred or a child has died
as a result of child maltreatment
 Observes a child being subjected to
conditions or circumstances that would
reasonably result in child maltreatment
 Ark. Code Ann. 12-18-401
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4. Who is Mandated to Report Child
Maltreatment?
 Any child care worker or  An employee working under
foster care worker contract for the Division of
 A coroner Youth Services of the DHS
 A day care center worker  Any foster parent
 A dentist  A judge
 A dental hygienist  A law enforcement official
 A domestic abuse advocate  A licensed nurse
 A domestic violence shelter  Any medical personnel who
employee may be engaged in the
admission, examination,
 A domestic violence shelter
care or treatment of persons
volunteer
 An employee of DHS
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5. Mandated Reporters
Ark. Code Ann. 12-18-402(b)
 A mental health  A teacher
professional  CASA staff member or
volunteer
 An osteopath
 A juvenile intake or
 A physician probation officer
 A prosecuting attorney  Clergy, with some
restrictions
 A resident intern
 An employee of a child
 A school counselor advocacy or safety center
 A school official  An attorney ad litem in the
 A social worker course of his or her duties
as an AAL
 A surgeon
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6. Mandated Reporters
Ark. Code Ann. 12-18-402(b)
 Sexual abuse advocate or sexual abuse  Child abuse advocate
volunteer who works with a victim of
or volunteer (including
sexual abuse as an employee of a
community-based victim service or mental persons based with
health agency such as Safe Places, LLE) who works with
United Family Services, or Centers for victim or abuse or
Youth and Families
maltreatment
 A sexual abuse advocate or sexual abuse
volunteer who includes a paid or volunteer  Victim assistance
sexual abuse advocate who is based with professional or
a local law enforcement agency volunteer
 Rape crisis advocate or rape  Employee of Crimes
crisis volunteer Against Children
 Victim/witness coordinator Division of Ark. State
Police 6
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7. What is a “school?”
 DHS has proposed defining a “school” as
any
 Elementary school, junior high school, or high
school
 Technical institute or post-secondary
vocational-technical school; or
 Two-year or four-year college or university
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8. Who is a “school official?”
 DHS has proposed defining a “school
official” as any person authorized by the
school to exercise authority over students
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9. How/where do you report Child
Maltreatment?
 Two ways
 Phone or
 Fax
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10. Child Abuse Hotline
Ark. Code Ann. 12-18-301
 The Child Abuse Hotline is a unit established within
the Department of Human Services or its designee
with the purpose of receiving and recording
notifications and reports under this chapter
 The Child Abuse Hotline shall be staffed twenty-four
(24) hours per day and shall have statewide
accessibility through a toll-free telephone number
 The toll-free telephone number under this section
shall be known as the “Child Abuse Hotline”
 All persons whether a mandated reporter or not,
may use the Child Abuse Hotline to report child
maltreatment or suspected child maltreatment
 Hotline number is 1-800-482-5964
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11. Fax Option for Mandated Reporters to
Report to the Child Abuse Hotline
 As prescribed under this section, a mandated reporter under this chapter
may report child maltreatment or suspected child maltreatment by telephone
call, facsimile transmission, or online reporting.
 Facsimile transmission and online reporting may be used in nonemergency
situations by an identified mandated reporter under this chapter who
provides the following contact information:
 (1) Name and phone number; and
 (2) In the case of online reporting, the email address of the identified mandated reporter under this chapter.
 The Child Abuse Hotline shall provide confirmation of the receipt of a
facsimile transmission via a return facsimile transmission or via online
receipt.
 A mandated reporter under this chapter who wishes to remain anonymous
shall make a report through the Child Abuse Hotline toll-free telephone
system.
 Ark. Code Ann. § 12-18-302.
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12. Where do you find the fax form to
Report to the Child Abuse Hotline?
 http://www.arkansas.gov/reportARchildabuse/r
 Fax to: 1-501-618-8952
Fax report is for mandated reporters only
Fax Form is for mandated reporters to make reports of a
non-emergency nature only
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13. What information do you need
to make the Report?
 What happened
 Enough information to locate the child
 Also helpful to know:
 Name, age of child
 Caregiver’s name & address
 County where incident occurred or child resides
 How the person calling knows the family
 Whether the child has injuries
 When the child was last seen and by whom
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14. And this information makes the
investigation go even faster
 Names of others in the home
 Where the child is located now
 Whether there are safety concerns in the home
(alcohol, drugs, weapons, etc.)
 Who else knows or was told of the situation
 Whether there has been a report made to local
police
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15. Will anyone know you made the report
to the Child Abuse Hotline?
 Your identity is kept confidential and will not be
released unless a judge orders the information
to be released. The judge must look at the
information and find reason to believe the
reporter knowingly made a false report
 The Prosecuting Attorney and law enforcement,
upon request, can obtain the name of the person
who made the hotline report
 Ark. Code Ann. 12-18-502
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16. Will the alleged offender or
parent know you called?
 Sometimes the alleged offender or parent is able to
figure out who made the hotline report. If the alleged
offender or parent does guess who called, that will NOT
be confirmed by the investigator.
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17. What are the time frames for
reporting?
 Immediately for persons who are
mandated reporters
 An individual listed as a mandated reporter under this subsection shall immediately
notify the Child Abuse Hotline if he or she:
 Has reasonable cause to suspect that a child has
 been subjected to child maltreatment; or
 has died as a result of child maltreatment; or
 Observes a child being subjected to conditions or circumstances that would
reasonably result in child maltreatment
 Ark. Code Ann. 12-18-402(a)
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18. What happens if a mandated
reporter doesn’t report?
 Can the mandated reporter tell someone
else who makes the hotline report?
 Failure to directly report has civil and
criminal consequences
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19. Can the school review the allegation before
someone calls the Child Abuse Hotline?
 12-18-204. Unlawful restriction of child abuse reporting.
(a) (1) A person employed at a school, Head Start program, or day care facility commits the offense of unlawful
restriction of child abuse reporting if he or she:
(A) Prohibits a mandated reporter under this chapter from making a report of child maltreatment or suspected
child maltreatment to the Child Abuse Hotline;
(B) Requires that a mandated reporter under this chapter receive permission from the person before the
mandated reporter makes a report of child maltreatment or suspected child maltreatment to the Child Abuse
Hotline; or
(C) Knowingly retaliates against a mandated reporter under this chapter for reporting child maltreatment or
suspected child maltreatment to the Child Abuse Hotline.
(2) Nothing in this section shall prohibit any person or institution from requiring a mandatory reporter employed
or serving as a volunteer for a person or institution to inform a representative of that person or institution that the
reporter has made a report to the Child Abuse Hotline.
(b) Unlawful restriction of child abuse reporting is a Class A misdemeanor.
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20. § 12-18-201. Failure to notify by a
mandated reporter in the first degree
 (a) A person commits the offense of failure to notify by a mandated reporter in the first
degree if he or she:
 (1) Is a mandated reporter under this chapter;
 (2) Has:
 (A) Reasonable cause to suspect that a child has been subjected to child
maltreatment;
 (B) Reasonable cause to suspect that a child has died as a result of child
maltreatment; or
 (C) Observes a child being subjected to conditions or circumstances that would
reasonably result in child maltreatment; and
 (3) Knowingly fails to notify the Child Abuse Hotline of the child maltreatment or suspected
child maltreatment.
 (b) Failure to notify by a mandated reporter in the first degree is a Class A
misdemeanor.
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21. § 12-18-202. Failure to notify by a
mandated reporter in the second degree
 (a) A person commits the offense of failure to notify by a mandated reporter in the
second degree if he or she:
 (1) Is a mandated reporter under this chapter;
 (2) Has:
 (A) Reasonable cause to suspect that a child has been subjected to child maltreatment;
 (B) Reasonable cause to suspect that a child has died as a result of child maltreatment; or
 (C) Observes a child being subjected to conditions or circumstances that would reasonably result in
child maltreatment; and
 (3) Recklessly fails to notify the Child Abuse Hotline of the child maltreatment or suspected
child maltreatment.
 (b) Failure to notify by a mandated reporter in the second degree is a Class C
misdemeanor.
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22. § 12-18-206. Civil liability for
failure to report
 A person required by this chapter to make a
report of child maltreatment or suspected child
maltreatment to the Child Abuse Hotline who
purposely fails to do so is civilly liable for
damages proximately caused by that failure.
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23. Immunity from Liability
Ark. Code Ann. 12-18-107
 A person or agency required by this chapter to
report suspected child maltreatment who acts in
good faith in making notification, the taking of a
photograph or radiological test, or the removal of a
child while exercising a seventy-two hour hold is
immune to suit and to civil and criminal liability.
 If acting in good faith, a person making notification
not named in this section is immune from liability
 A publicly supported school, facility, or institution
acting in good faith by cooperating with the
investigative agency under this chapter shall be
immune from civil and criminal liability
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24. Immunity from Liability
 12-18-207. Judicial and prosecutorial
disclosure.
A judge or prosecuting attorney who fails
to make a report when required by this
chapter is immune from criminal and civil
liability under this chapter.
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25. What is Child Maltreatment?
Ark. Code Ann. 12-18-103(6)
 Child Maltreatment means abuse, sexual
abuse, neglect, sexual exploitation, or
abandonment
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26. Training for Mandated
Reporters
 Call the Arkansas Commission on Child
Abuse, Rape & Domestic Violence at
(501) 661-7975 or email
williamsonsherryj@uams.edu
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27. Questions?
 The end
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