Mandated Reporting, Abuse, and Neglect
What you must know
Dentists are mandated reporters. For child abuse and neglect (physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, and severe neglect), report to Child Protective Services or a police or sheriff's department on reasonable suspicion - proof is not required, and you do not investigate first. Report by telephone immediately or as soon as practicably possible and file the written report (Form SS 8572) within 36 hours. For elder and dependent-adult abuse, including physical abuse, neglect, financial abuse, abandonment, isolation, and abduction, report to Adult Protective Services, or to the local long-term-care ombudsman for facility residents; the telephone or internet report is immediate or as soon as practicably possible, with the written report within two working days.
Separately, Penal Code 11160 requires a health practitioner treating a wound from a firearm or from assaultive or abusive conduct to report it to law enforcement immediately by telephone.
Reporting is not a breach of confidentiality: the reporting statutes override ordinary privacy expectations, and good-faith reports carry statutory immunity. Failure to report is a crime and also exposes the licensee to Board discipline; retaliation against a reporter is prohibited.
Traps
- Waiting for certainty, or trying to confirm the story yourself.
- Accepting a parent's explanation as closing the matter.
- Reporting elder abuse to CPS, or reporting a child case only to APS.
- Believing HIPAA forbids the report (it permits disclosures required by law).
Rule of thumb
Suspicion triggers the call; documentation follows the call. Note what you observed, what was said, to whom you reported, the time, and the report number.