Series TitleState Statutes
Author(s)Child Welfare Information Gateway
|This factsheet discusses State laws and regulations that specify the procedures that State child protection agencies must follow when responding to reports of suspected child abuse or neglect. The issues addressed include individual responsibility to report, content of reports, screening reports, investigation procedures, time frames for completing investigations, and classification of investigative findings. Special procedures for handling child fatalities and drug-exposed children also are addressed. Summaries of laws for all States and U.S. territories are included.|
Table of Contents
Content of Reports
Reporting Suspicious Deaths
Reporting Substance-Exposed Infants
Agency Receiving the Reports
Initial Screening Decisions
Agency Conducting the Assessment/Investigation
Timeframes for Completing Investigations
Classification of Reports
Summaries of State Laws
Suggested Citation(s): Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2013). Making and screening reports of child abuse and neglect. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children's Bureau.
This material may be freely reproduced and distributed. However, when doing so, please credit Child Welfare Information Gateway.