Child Protection Policy and Procedures - Volunteer Reporting

Purpose:

The purpose of this policy is to outline HKids’ Horton’s Kids’ procedures for volunteers to report suspicions of child abuse and/or neglect.

Overview:

A mandated reporter is an individual, who is required by law, to report suspicions of child abuse and neglect to the D.C. Department of Child and Family Services. Mandated reporters are individuals such as police, firefighters, paramedics, teachers, after school personnel, and social workers. As a volunteer, you are not a mandated reporter. You are a “permissive reporter” which means you can voluntarily report suspicions of child abuse. As a volunteer you can report suspicion of abuse to any mandated reporter.

Policy and Process:

Reporting abuse does not have the burden of providing proof that abuse or neglect has occurred;,however, you must be able to describe the facts and circumstances that led to your suspicion that a child has been abused or neglected.

Examples of child abuse include:

  • Bodily injury
  • Serious mental injury
  • Sexual abuse or exploitation
  • Series physical neglect
  • Likelihood of bodily injury or sexual abuse
  • Medical child abuse (also known as Munchausen by Proxy)
  • Medical neglect
  • Per se definitions[JT1][BF2]:
  • Physical violence that endangers the child
  • Restraining or confining the child
  • Shaking a child under one year old
  • Striking a child under one year old
  • Interfering with the breathing of a child
  • Having child present at a meth lab
  • Leaving the child in the care of a sexual offender
  • Engaging a child in a severe form of trafficking in persons or sex trafficking (includes sex and labor trafficking)

If you suspect anything, please call a Horton’s Kidsn HK staff member immediately. As an organization, we are required tohave designate staff members who are mandated reporters and who

that are required tomake a report. Mandated reporters are:

  • Julie Lonardo, Community Center & Outreach Director (703) 399-5877
  • Meg Stewart, Director of Elementary Programs Director (301)
  • Jodi Rosenbaum, K7 Elementary Education Tutoring Manager (631) 807-5327
  • Joh’nita Johnson, Mentoring CoordinatorSecondary Programs Associate (202) 425-9108
  • Jhae Thompson, Deputy Director(240) 460-5657

If you believe a child is in immediate danger, please call 911. The following personnel are also mandated reporters and can take care of the child: police, librarians, social workers, school officers, and school teachers. You can find a full list of mandated reporters here.You can also report abuse or neglect by calling:

Hotline: 202-671-SAFE or 202-671-7233, open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

If you have any questions please contact Matt Weisberg, Volunteer Coordinator at:

(202) 407-3048

If you would like additional information onhow to receive training about mandated reporting please visit

[JT1]Other examples?

[BF2]Is there a clearer way to describe this?