Like every other state, North Carolina has a mandatory reporting law for child abuse and neglect. North Carolina’s law requires any person or institution with cause to suspect a child is abused, neglected, or dependent due to circumstances created by a parent, guardian, custodian, or caretaker to make a report to the county child welfare department (typically, a department of social services (DSS)) where the child resides or is found. G.S. 7B-301. Additionally, any person or institution with cause to suspect a juvenile is a victim of human trafficking (sex or labor trafficking), regardless of whether the circumstances were created by a parent, guardian, custodian, or caretaker, is mandated to report abuse and neglect to the DSS where the child resides or is found. See G.S. 7B-301; -101(1) (defining “abused juveniles”), (9) (defining “dependent juvenile”), and (15) (defining “neglected juvenile”).
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Tag: Mandatory reporting laws
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BIG NEWS: S.L. 2019-245 Creates a New Universal Mandated Reporting Law for Child Victims of Crimes and Changes the Definition of “Caretaker”
This post was amended October 3, 2023 to reflect a new statutory exemption for reporting.
An Act to Protect Children from Sexual Abuse and to Strengthen and Modernize Sexual Assault Laws, S.L. 2019-245 (S199) enacts and amends various laws related to crimes;* amends some civil and criminal statutes of limitations; requires mandatory training for school personnel addressing child sex abuse and trafficking; amends the definition of “caretaker” as it relates to child abuse, neglect, or dependency; and creates a new universal mandatory reporting law for child victims of certain crimes.