Child abuse or neglect: mandated reporters.

Existing law, the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act, requires a mandated reporter, as defined, to report whenever they, in their professional capacity or within the scope of their employment, have knowledge of or observed a child whom the mandated reporter knows or reasonably suspects has been the victim of child abuse or neglect. Failure by a mandated reporter to report an incident of known or reasonably suspected child abuse or neglect is a misdemeanor punishable by up to 6 months of confinement in a county jail, by a fine of $1,000, or by both that imprisonment and fine. Under existing law, employers are strongly encouraged to provide their employees who are mandated reporters with training in these duties, including training in identification and reporting of child abuse and neglect. This bill would add a human resource employee of a business with 5 or more employees that employs minors to the list of individuals who are mandated reporters. The bill would also add, for the purposes of reporting sexual abuse, an adult whose duties require direct contact with and supervision of minors in the performance of the minors' duties in the workplace of a business with 5 or more employees to the list of individuals who are mandated reporters. The bill would require those employers to provide their employees who are mandated reporters with training on identification and reporting of child abuse and neglect. By imposing the reporting requirements on a new class of persons, for whom failure to report specified conduct is a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local 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.