Concerned Citizens Guide

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How You Can Help

• Do You Know a Child in Need?
• Making the Call.
• What Happens After You File a Report?

View the slide deck from the Concerned Citizens Guide training course.

Mandated Reporters

The rules for mandated reporters are different from other citizens.

• See if you are a mandated reporter.

Glossary of Terms

Abused Child

A child under the age of 18 whose parent or other person legally responsible for his/her care inflicts upon the child serious physical injury, creates a substantial risk of serious physical injury, or commits a sex offense against the child.

Abused Child in Residential Care

A child whose custodian inflicts any injury upon such child by other than accidental means which causes death, serious or protracted disfigurement, serious or protracted impairment of physical health, serious or protracted loss or impairment of the function of any organ or a serious emotional injury or by their conduct and with knowledge or deliberate indifference allows any such injury to be inflicted upon such child or commits, promotes or knowingly permits the commission of a sex offense against such child or allows, permits or encourages such child to engage in sexual offenses as defined in NYS Penal Law.

Custodian

A director, operator, employee or volunteer of a residential care facility or program.

Indicated Report

Upon conclusion of the investigation, the local investigative agency determined there was some credible evidence to support the allegations in the report.

Maltreated Child

A child under the age of 18 whose parent(s) or other person legally responsible for the care of a child harms a child, or places a child in imminent danger of harm by failing to exercise the minimum degree of care in providing the child with any of the following: food, clothing, shelter, education or medical care when financially able to do so. Maltreatment can also result from abandonment of a child or from not providing adequate supervision for the child. Further, a child may be maltreated if a parent engages in excessive use of drugs or alcohol such that it interferes with their ability to adequately supervise the child.

Maltreated child in Residential Care

A child whose custodian:

1. (a) inflicts by act or omission physical injury, excluding minor injury, to such child by other than accidental means;
2. (b) creates a substantial risk of physical injury, excluding minor injury, to such child by other than accidental means; or
3. (c) fails to comply with a rule or regulation involving care, services or supervision of a child promulgated y a state agency operating, certifying, or supervising a residential facility or program, and such failure to comply results in physical injury, excluding minor injury, or serious emotional injury to such child where such result was reasonably foreseeable or
4. (d) fails to meet a personal duty imposed by an agreed upon plan of prevention and remediation pursuant to this chapter or the mental hygiene law, the executive law or the education law, arising from abuse or neglect of a child in residential care and such failure results in physical injury, excluding minor injury, or serious emotional injury or the risk thereof to the child; or
5. (e) intentionally administers to the child any prescription drug other than in substantial compliance with a physician's, physician's assistant's or nurse practitioner's prescription.

Person Legally Responsible

Includes the child's custodian, guardian, and any other person responsible for the child's care at the relevant time. Custodian may include any person continually or at regular intervals found in the same household as the child when the conduct of such person causes or contributes to the abuse or neglect of the child.

Reasonable Cause to Suspect

A logical basis for your concern. It does not mean you have to be certain or have proof.

Registered Report

The information presented by the caller was recorded and transmitted to a local investigative agency.

Subject of a Report

Any parent of, guardian of, custodian of or other person eighteen years of age or older legally responsible for, as defined in subdivision (g) of section one thousand twelve of the family court act, a child reported to the central register of child abuse and maltreatment who is allegedly responsible for causing injury, abuse or maltreatment to such child or who allegedly allows such injury, abuse or maltreatment to be inflicted on such child, or a director or an operator of or employee or volunteer in a home operated or supervised by an authorized agency, the division for youth, or an office of the department of mental hygiene or in a family day-care home, a day-care center, a group family day care home or a day-services program, or a consultant or any person who is an employee or volunteer of a corporation, partnership, organization or any governmental entity which provides goods or services pursuant to a contract or other arrangement which provides for such consultant or person to have regular and substantial contact with children in residential care who is allegedly responsible for causing injury, abuse or maltreatment to a child who is reported to the central register of child abuse or maltreatment or who allegedly allows such injury, abuse or maltreatment to be inflicted on such child.

Unfounded Report

Upon conclusion of the investigation, the local investigative agency determined there was no credible evidence to support the allegations in the report.