Child abuse: reporting.

The Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act requires a mandated reporter, as defined, to make a report to a specified agency whenever the mandated reporter, in his or her professional capacity or within the scope of his or her employment, has knowledge of or observes a child whom the mandated reporter knows or reasonably suspects has been the victim of child abuse or neglect. Existing law further requires the mandated reporter to make an initial report by telephone to the agency immediately or as soon as is practicably possible, and to prepare and send, fax, or electronically transmit a written followup report within 36 hours of receiving the information concerning the incident. Existing law additionally provides that, when 2 or more mandated reporters have joint knowledge of suspected child abuse or neglect, they may select a member of the team by mutual agreement to make and sign a single report. Any member who has knowledge that the member designated to report has failed to do so is required to thereafter make the report. This bill would limit these latter provisions to mandated reporters who are health care providers, thereby requiring every mandated reporter who is not a health care provider and who has knowledge of suspected child abuse or neglect to make an individual report. The bill would require the person who files a single report on behalf of multiple health care providers who are mandated reporters to include the names of the other members of the reporting team, as specified. The bill would provide that a person making the report would not be subject to criminal penalties or other sanctions for failing to include one or more names of those persons if his or her failure to include those names is accidental or inadvertent. Because this bill would expand the definition of a crime, it would impose a state-mandated program. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.