Mandated Reporting Procedure for Child Abuse and/or Neglect

To create a safe environment for youth, the UUA staff will report any suspected incident of abuse or neglect to state child protective services and to the youth’s religious professionals, who may share the information with the youth’s parents/guardians, by following the procedure below.

(1) The UUA staff is responsible for determining if a report of “harm to self or others” or “abuse or neglect” requires a mandated report. They should consider:

  • Consulting a religious professional from the youth’s congregation who may have more information on state law requirements;

  • Consulting with a professional in the state with knowledge of mandated reporting;

  • Reviewing the state law.

(2) Required reports should be made within the legal time frame required by state law after knowledge of the abuse and/or neglect by a leader, volunteer or staff. While the proper venue to receive mandated reports varies by state, the report should most likely be made to the state or county child or family services, or such as through a state child abuse hotline (see special point below). Most likely this report is required to be made in the jurisdiction in which the incident happened. Based on the facts and circumstances, additional reports may be appropriate and UUA staff should review with legal counsel.

(3) UUA staff must inform their supervisor immediately and keep them informed throughout the process and to help determine all actions that should be taken. The situation and process should be documented thoroughly.

(4) If required to report, the UUA staff will inform the Executive Vice President, and report the incident to state child protective services. Depending on the circumstances in appropriate cases, a report will be provided to the youth’s religious professionals, who may share the information with the youth’s parents/guardians. If the abuser is the religious professional or the parent/guardian they should not receive notice of the charges until the youth is safe. If the UUA staff determines the incident is not a mandated report, this decision must be approved by the UUA Executive Vice President and the reasoning must be recorded in writing.

(5) If the person accused of child abuse is a youth in UUA programs or an adult volunteer and/or sponsor, UUA staff is responsible for determining eligibility for future youth events and for appropriately documenting the incident.