Mandatory Child Abuse Reporting

Type

Procedure

Category

Human Resources

Department

Human Resources

Phone

(541) 463-5115

Primary Contact

Shane Turner

Contact Email

Responsible Executive Authority

Executive Director for Human Resources and Compliance

Purpose

Oregon law requires all community college employees to report suspected cases of child abuse to the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) or to local law enforcement officials. This procedure details the reporting steps employees are expected to take.

Narrative

Lane Community College is committed to protecting the safety of children and of students under the age of 18 who participate in college programs, both on and off campus.

Effective January 1, 2013, Oregon law requires all community college employees to report suspected cases of child abuse to the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS) or to local law enforcement officials. This duty is personal to the individual college employee and exists twenty-four hours-a-day, seven days-a-week whether or not the employee is on work time. 

The duty to report requires the employee to immediately report, or cause a report to be made, as soon as the employee knew or should have known that there may be a child abuse concern. The report must be made to the local Department of Human Services office or to local law enforcement when:

  1. The employee has reasonable cause to believe that any child with whom the employee has contact has suffered abuse, or
  2. Any person with whom the employee comes in contact has abused a child.

The phone numbers to report suspected child abuse are:

DHS in Lane County: 541-686-7555 or toll free 866-300-2782

Local law enforcement: Dial 911 (after hours)

"Abuse" includes:

  • Any assault of a child and any physical injury to a child which has been caused by other than accidental means;
  • Any mental injury to a child, which shall include only observable and substantial impairment of the child's mental or psychological ability to function caused by cruelty to the child, with due regard to the culture of the child;
  • Rape of a child, which includes but is not limited to rape, sodomy, unlawful sexual penetration and incest;
  • Sexual abuse;
  • Sexual exploitation, including contributing to the sexual delinquency of a minor or allowing, permitting, encouraging or hiring a child to engage in prostitution or patronize a prostitute;
  • Negligent treatment or maltreatment of a child;
  • Threatened harm to a child, which means subjecting a child to a substantial risk of harm to the child's health or welfare;
  • Buying or selling a person under 18 years of age;
  • Permitting a person under 18 years of age to enter or remain in or upon premises where methamphetamines are being manufactured; or
  • Unlawful exposure to a controlled substance, as defined in ORS 475.005, that subjects a child to a substantial risk of harm to the child's health or safety.

"Child" means an unmarried person who is under 18 years of age.

"Law enforcement agency" means:

  • a city or municipal police department;
  • a county sheriff's office;
  • the Oregon State Police; or
  • a county juvenile department.

Additional information is available at the HR website and at Mandatory Child Abuse Reporting Frequently Asked Questions

View a DHS video about Mandatory Child Abuse Reporting

Legal Reference: ORS 419B.005 to 419B.050

Date Adopted

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Date Last Reviewed

Thursday, October 9, 2014