Working with vulnerable children: Mandatory reporting

Overview

Protecting children and young people is a responsibility that is shared by the whole community and mandatory reporters have an important, legal duty to fulfil.

This module discusses how mandatory reporting laws help support the protection of children in society. It provides details, state by state, of who is required to make a report, on what grounds a report should be made, when the report must be made, and how to make a report.

All mandatory reporters in healthcare facilities are required to undertake annual training on child protection and their roles and responsibilities. This module compliments two other modules that are available: Working with children: Identifying and responding to vulnerable children and Vulnerable young people and the age of consent.

It is recommended that all those working in healthcare complete the first two modules and that all those who are mandatory reporters complete this, the third module.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this module participants will be able to:

  • Answer frequently asked questions that relate to mandatory reporting.
  • Define ‘abuse’ as it relates to children.
  • Understand what the meaning of ‘reasonable grounds’ for suspecting child abuse means in my state or territory.
  • Know how to make a mandatory report.

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