MANDATED REPORTERS AND
THE
PROCESS OF A HOTLINE
Missouri Department of Social Services
Children’s Division
Presented by: Rhonda Liming
636.940.3413
Rhonda.Liming@dss.mo.gov
April 2013
What is the Children’s
Division Mission?
To protect Missouri children from
abuse and neglect; assuring their
safety and well being by partnering
with families, communities and
government in an ethically, culturally
and socially responsible manner.
Our Guiding Principles
 PREVENTION - Families are supported through proactive, intentional activities
that promote positive child development and prevent abuse and neglect.
 PROTECTION - Children have a right to be safe and live free from abuse and
neglect.
 PRESERVATION – The cultural and ethnic diversity of the children and families of
Missouri are recognized, honored and respected.
 PARTNERSHIP - Families, communities and government share the responsibility
to create safe, nurturing environments for families to raise their children.
 PRACTICE - The family is the basic building block of society and is irreplaceable.
Families are empowered to identify and access services that support, preserve and
strengthen their functioning.
 PERMANENCY - Children are entitled to enduring, nurturing relationships that
provide stability and belonging through family and community connections.
 PROFESSIONALISM - Staff are valued, respected and supported throughout their
career, and in turn provide quality service with value, respect and support for
families.
Who are we and what do we do?
 Receive and investigate reports of possible child
abuse and neglect
 Provide services to families who need assistance in
the protection and care of their children
 Arrange for children to live with foster families when
they are not at home
 Arrange permanent adoptive homes or independent
living services for children leaving foster care
Mandated Reporters
“…or other person with responsibility for the care of children
has reasonable cause to suspect that a child has been
or may be subjected to abuse or neglect or observes a child
being subjected to conditions or circumstances which
would reasonably result in abuse or neglect, that
person shall immediately report or cause a
report to be made to the division in accordance with
the provisions of sections 210.109 through 210.183…”
Mandated Reporters
Physician
Medical Examiner
Coroner
Dentist
Chiropractor
Optometrist
Podiatrist
Resident Intern
Hospital or clinic personnel
engaged in examination,
treatment, care, or research of
persons
Any other health
practitioner
Psychologist
Mental Health
professional
Social Worker
Daycare center worker or other
child care worker
Juvenile Officer
Probation/Parole officer
Jail/detention center
personnel
Teacher
Principal or other school
official
Minister as provided by
section 352.400 RSMo
Peace officer or law
enforcement official
Mandated Reporters



Such person is required to report…in an official capacity
as a staff member of a medical institution, school facility,
or other agency, whether public or private.
Person in charge or designated agent shall be notified
immediately.
That person shall then become responsible for
immediately making or causing such a report to be made
to the Division.
Note: the person with firsthand information should
be making the report and schools and other agencies
should be mindful of this. This will also help with
the child not being questioned by multiple
individuals.

Nothing in this section, however, is meant to preclude
any person from reporting abuse/neglect.
Mandated Reporters



May make report to any law enforcement or
juvenile office
Shall not, however, take the place of
reporting or causing a report to be
made to the Division
It is a Class A misdemeanor if a mandated
reporter knowingly fails to report to CANHU
What is Neglect?

Neglect: failure to provide by those responsible for the care, custody
and control of the child, the proper or necessary support, nutrition, or
any care necessary for his well being.


Types of neglect:

physical

supervision

emotional

medical

educational
It is important to remember neglect is not what you would expect or
want for the child but a lack of basic needs.
What is Physical Abuse?

Abuse: any physical injury that is inflicted on a child other than
by accidental means by those responsible for the care, custody
and control except that discipline including spanking,
administered in a reasonable manner shall not be construed as
abuse.

Signs of Physical abuse

inconsistent explanation of injury

no explanation for injury

non-mobile children with an injury
What is Sexual Abuse?

Sexual Abuse: any sexual act between an adult and a
child or between two children when one exerts power over
the other.

It is NEVER okay for a child to be sexually abused and every
incident of which you are made aware should be reported.

Types of sexual abuse:

physical (touching, fondling, oral sex or intercourse)

non-physical (viewing pornography, taking photographs of child,
discussion of sexual activity).
Statistics on Sexual Abuse

Only 3-5% of cases of sexual abuse will have physical
evidence of the abuse.

Over 90% of all sexual molestation is committed by someone
the child knows or trusts (Darkness to Light, 2001-2005).

In a sample of sexually abused children, 75% did not disclose
within a year of the abuse beginning (Elliot and Briere, 1994).

Children only tell about sexual abuse when they are ready
(Sorenson and Snow, 1991).
What is Emotional Abuse?

Emotional Abuse: acts of commission or omission
by the parents and other caregivers that could cause
the child to have serious behavioral, emotional or
mental disorders.

Emotional Abuse is the most difficult abuse to prove as
the investigator must be able to prove the ill effects of
the abuse to the child.
Criteria for calling the
Child Abuse & Neglect Hotline




An allegation of abuse (excludes spanking in reasonable
manner) or neglect to a child victim
The child victim must be under age 18 at the time of the call;
or if the victim is in the custody of the state they can be up to
the age of 21.
The abuse/neglect must have been inflicted or caused by a
person exercising care, custody, and control (parent,
adult relative, teacher, day care provider, etc.) over the child,
other than by accidental means and
Sufficient identifying information (names, addresses, etc) to
locate the family and to begin an investigation or assessment.
Ask yourself when…
A hotline call should be
made any time YOU
suspect a child has been
abused or neglected.
Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline
1-800-392-3738

Created in 1975, RSMo210

Accepts approximately 130,000 calls per year

24 hour, 7 day per week hotline

Staffed by Children’s Service Workers
What happens if I don’t hotline?
Common Long Term Effects
For all children?
Increased risk of:

Sexual disorders

Anxiety disorders

normal lives.


Alcohol/substance abuse

Eating disorders

Low self-esteem

Serious mental health problems

Self-harming behaviors
Thankfully, many children grow up to live
The severity of the effects depends on:

the relationship of the perpetrator to
the child

the duration and severity of the abuse

whether the child was believed upon
disclosure

if they receive adequate mental health
follow up
CAN Reports

Upon receiving a call, the information is forwarded to the county
where the child resides

3 hour contact – emergency reports

24 hour contact – all other investigations/assessments

72 hour contact – educational neglect reports or old allegations where
child is protected

Not all calls meet the criteria for an actual report; the call will be
logged by the agency and the concerns will be documented.

Reporters will be advised of how the report is classified upon
completion of the call.
The Process of A Report
1. Reporter files a report by calling the hotline which is located in Jefferson City.
2. IF a report is accepted by the hotline, the worker will alert the county in which the
child resides.
3. The county office will assign the report to an investigator.
4. The Reporter will be contacted for additional information or questions.
5. Attempts will be made by the investigator to make contact with the victim child
within 3, 24 or 72 hours depending on the how the report is coded. Contact with
non-victim children are to be made within 72 hours.
6. The hotline is investigated fully and a finding is to be made within 30 days in most
cases.
7. If the report is made by a mandated reporter, the reporter will get a letter stating the
conclusion of the case after the completion of the case.
Speaking with Children

The investigator will see and speak with the child (if the child
is able to converse) to discuss the allegations.

Ideally, a child will be interviewed without a parent present.

The child could be seen at school/daycare, in the home or
somewhere else depending on the timeframe of the report.

All children in the home will be seen and spoken to in order
to get their perspective of the incident.
Addressing Allegations
with the Parents

The worker will complete a home visit with the family to
ensure there are no safety concerns and discuss the
allegations in the report. Any additional concerns that
are noted while speaking with the child/children or
collaterals will be addressed.


Collaterals can be school officials, neighbors, relatives,
non-offending parents or service providers.
Worker will address with the family any services that
could be beneficial to them.
Imminent Danger

Imminent danger: suffering serious
physical harm, threat to life from abuse or
neglect, or has been sexually abused or is at
risk of sexual abuse.

Protective custody is taken only if it can be
determined the child is in imminent danger.
If Services Are Needed

If the child is not in imminent danger but the child is at risk or the
family could benefit from services, this will be discussed with the
family.

The investigator can implement or connect the family to services to
reduce the risk for abuse or neglect.

If the investigator feels the family would benefit from further
Children’s Division involvement, a Family Center Services (FCS) case
or Intensive In-Home Services (IIS) case can be opened to assist the
family in developing and meeting goals to help reduce the risk for
abuse and neglect.
MYTH vs FACT
MYTH
FACT
Although children can be
If I call Children’s
placed out of their home if
Services or Law
they are in danger, most
Enforcement, they will
children stay in their
remove the children
home while services and
from their home.
support are provided.
MYTH vs FACT
MYTH
FACT
Children’s Division
Workers take custody of
children.
Only Doctors, Juvenile
Officers or Police Officers
can take custody of
children.
MYTH vs FACT
MYTH
FACT
If I call the hotline, the
family will know that I
made the call.
Many families make a “laundry
list” of those who might have
called. They will ask everyone
until someone admits they did
call. Children’s Division staff
does NOT disclose who made
the call but does have to discuss
all allegations in the report.
MYTH vs FACT
MYTH
FACT
After I make a hotline call, All information the Children’s
Division gathers is
I have access to all
confidential. Reporters will get
information about the
an initial call from the worker
report and family.
after making the hotline to see
if the Reporter has any
additional information or
questions.
MYTH vs FACT
MYTH
FACT
If I already know a report
was made or a report is
open, I need to call the
hotline if I have additional
concerns.
If you know a report is
open, you can report
additional concerns or
information to the
assigned worker
throughout the duration
the report is open.
MYTH vs FACT
MYTH
FACT
Sexual abuse rarely
happens. It also only
happens to girls.
1 in 4 girls and 1 in 6 boys
will be victims of sexual
abuse by the time they
reach 18 years old.
Working with you in protecting Missouri’s children.