If a university employee knows or reasonably believes that a child has been abused or is in immediate danger of abuse, the employee should immediately contact the local or nearest law enforcement agency (911), or campus police department (UCMPD) at 209-CAT-COPS.
Employees may also make reports via any of the following means:
If you are a mandated reporter you have additional statutory reporting responsibilities. Please review the information below for Guidelines for Mandated Reporters.
As a condition of employment, each mandated reporter must sign a Statement Acknowledging Requirement to Report Child Abuse, which will be maintained by the university as a personnel record.
Upon gaining knowledge of or reasonably suspecting child abuse or neglect, each mandated reporter must immediately or as soon as practicably possible make a report as described below.
If you are unsure that what you suspect indicates abuse or neglect, you should call the child welfare authorities to ask.
The initial telephone report must be followed by a written report to the same agency within 36 hours. A written report may be submitted on form SS8572.
External Report Required by Law: Immediately by telephone report observed or suspected child abuse or neglect to agencies designated to receive these reports. These include:
UC Merced Police Department (209-CAT-COPS)
Any local police or sheriff’s department (911)
Internal Report Required by UC Policy: Promptly report observed or suspected child abuse or neglect to your supervisor or through the University of California Compliance Hotline:
This internal reporting requirement does not apply to: (1) clinicians or staff who identify abuse or neglect in connection with the provision of mental health services through faculty and staff assistance programs; nor (2) victim advocates employed by or volunteering in campus resource or advocacy centers who identify abuse or neglect in connection with their confidential work as advocates.
Mandated Reporters at any UC Merced healthcare facility (e.g. Student Health Services and Counseling & Psychological Services) who observe or suspect child abuse or neglect must comply with any internal reporting obligations set forth in the facilities’ local bylaws and policies.
An internal report is not a substitute for a mandated reporter’s required external report as described in above.
See "Definition of Child Abuse and Neglect' section below for additional information.
After a report is filed, the county child welfare department or local law enforcement agency investigates the allegations. These agencies are also required to cross-report suspected child abuse or neglect cases to each other.
The county child welfare department or law enforcement agency investigation will result in one of three outcomes.
Only substantiated reports of child abuse and severe neglect must be forwarded to the Department of Justice. The county child welfare department will determine if children need to be removed from the home or if services need to be offered to the parents or caregivers. Law enforcement agencies may also pursue criminal prosecution.
A mandated reporter who fails to make a required report is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail and/or up to a $1,000 fine, or both. He or she may also be found civilly liable for damages, especially if the child-victim or another child is further victimized because of the failure to report.
Mandated reporters have immunity from criminal or civil liability for reporting as required or authorized by law.
The identity of a mandated reporter is confidential and disclosed only among agencies receiving or investigating reports and other designated agencies. Reports are confidential and may be re-disclosed only to specified persons and agencies.
Any violation of confidentiality provided by CANRA is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment, fine or both.
Harm or threatened harm to a child's health or welfare can occur through, among other things, non-accidental physical or mental abuse, sexual abuse or attempted sexual abuse, sexual exploitation or attempted sexual exploitation or neglect. See California Penal Code Section 11165.1-11165.6 for detailed definition.
Physical Abuse: intentional acts or omissions that cause, or fail to prevent, physical injury to a child.
Emotional or Mental Abuse: intentional actions or omissions that have an actual or likely negative impact on a child’s emotional and behavioral development, including those resulting from persistent or severe emotional mistreatment.
Sexual abuse: may be perpetrated by an adult or another child and includes the employment, use, persuasion, inducement, enticement or coercion of any child to engage in, or having a child assist any other person to engage in, any sexual assault including rape, incest, sodomy, lewd or lascivious acts, oral copulation, penetration of genital or anal opening by a foreign object and child molestation. Sexual abuse also includes any activity that is meant to arouse or gratify the sexual desires of the perpetrating adult or child. Sexual abuse may or may not involve touching.
Sexual exploitation: includes allowing, permitting or encouraging a child to engage in prostitution and allowing, permitting, encouraging or engaging in the obscene or pornographic photographing, filming or depicting of a child for commercial purposes.
Neglect: a severe or persistent failure to provide for a child’s physical, emotional or basic needs. However, it is not “neglect” if the actual or suspected injuries result solely from economic or environmental factors that are beyond the caretaker or parent’s control, such as inadequate housing, income, clothing and medical care.
While mandated reporter training is not required, all mandated reporters are expected to comply with the duties of the role.
The university strongly encourages you, as a mandated reporter, to complete Praesidium’s online training course to help you understand your role in recognizing and reporting child abuse.
If you are interested in the training, please contact Risk Services.
Supervisors and program directors can design online training programs for their departments or unit employees and volunteers.
Select from several online courses that focus on prevention of abuse of minors.
Training for Mandated Reporters under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA) is also available. It is easy for supervisors and program directors to make these courses available to employees and volunteers.
Take these steps to get your training started:
Online self-assessment tools give supervisors and program directors an accurate measure of the strength of existing policies and practices as well as a customized action plan including help with policies and procedures.
For more information and access to the tool, email Risk Services.
Office of the President Risk Services offers guidance about Guidelines, Training & Insurance for management of youth activities.
All instructional appointees at UC Merced — including Senate/ladder-rank faculty members, non-Senate faculty members and lecturers, teaching assistants and teaching fellows are designated as mandated reporters.
Please refer to Guidelines for Mandated Reporters for more information.
By UC policy, all university employees, contractors, volunteers or students who observe, have actual knowledge of, or reasonably suspect child abuse or neglect at a university facility or at official university activities are encouraged to promptly report their concerns.
The concern may be reported to a supervisor, to a university official, to the campus police department or through the university’s compliance hotline.
Student employees and those working with faculty on research projects should check with their supervisors or supervising faculty members regarding their mandated reporter status.
Volunteers in university-sponsored programs are generally not considered mandated reporters.
However, departments must consider the qualifications or services provided by each volunteer to determine if he or she meets the criteria of a mandated reporter.
Volunteers who direct or manage official university programs could be considered mandated reporters. For example, a volunteer who is a university "official" such as a volunteer who runs a retreat program for kids on behalf of the university, would be considered a mandated reporter.