KIRKSVILLE, MO. -- In the wake of all of the national child sexual abuse scandals, many of our viewers wanted to know for our Facebook Story of the Day who is considered by law, a mandatory reporter.
Adair County Prosecutor Matt Wilson said anyone whose official capacity involves the care and protection of children is required by law to report any suspected abuse. That would include medical providers, ministers, school officials, law enforcement, social workers, day care workers, certified substance abuse counselors, mental health professionals, parole officers, and even coroners. (For the complete list, here is a link to the Missouri Revised Statute.)
Mandatory reporters are required to call the child abuse hotline (1-800-422-4453) and report their suspicions. Then, the state's Children's Division along with law enforcement will investigate the reported claims of abuse.
Wilson said if it is proven that a mandatory reporter failed to report their suspicions of abuse, they could face jail time and a stiff fine.
"If a mandatory reporter does not report any signs of abuse and it's determined that they knew of it, and there was in fact abuse going on, it's a class A misdemeanor, which is a crime that's punishable by up to a year in jail and up to a $1,000 fine," said Matt Wilson.
According to Wilson, his office receives about one to two cases a month involving child abuse.
If you'd like to read about how to detect child abuse, here is a link to our previous story.
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