Mandatory Reporter Policy

What This Means and Why It Matters

At Dahlia Health, keeping every teen in our program safe is our most important job. We take our legal responsibilities as mandated reporters very seriously because it's one of the main ways we protect the teens we work with.

Mandated reporters are people who are legally required to report suspected abuse, neglect, or danger to the proper authorities when they have "reasonable cause" to suspect a child is being abused or neglected. This means when we see signs based on our training and experience that a teen might be in danger, we have to report it. This law exists as an important protection for young people, making sure they get help quickly when they might be facing harm. All Dahlia Health team members, including Bloom Buddies and supervisors, are trained to spot concerning situations and know exactly what steps to take to report properly.

Research shows over and over that getting involved early in suspected abuse cases makes things much better for at-risk teens. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says that reporting quickly can prevent more harm and connect teens with services that can protect them. Our process follows this research-based approach, focusing on taking action right away to address safety concerns.

Understanding "Reasonable Suspicion"

"Reasonable suspicion" or "reasonable cause" means having objective facts or observations that would lead a trained professional to believe abuse or neglect may have occurred. This includes direct disclosures from teens, physical signs of abuse, behavioral changes consistent with trauma, witness accounts, or patterns of concerning incidents. Staff consults with supervisors when uncertain about whether observations meet this threshold, but when in doubt, err on the side of reporting to ensure teen safety.

Understanding the Nature of Our Reports

Mandatory reports are expressions of concern, not accusations or determinations of guilt or wrongdoing. When we make a report to child protective services or other agencies, we are requesting additional support and resources for the child and family. These referrals are designed to connect families with services, conduct appropriate inquiries when necessary, and provide protective resources. The reporting process is fundamentally supportive rather than punitive—it represents our request for the broader system to provide additional help and ensure child safety.

Physical Abuse Reporting Requirements

We're required to report physical or sexual abuse, which means someone commits or allows abuse against a child as defined in criminal law. Physical abuse is defined as intentionally causing physical injury to a child through actions such as hitting, kicking, shaking, burning, or otherwise harming a child's body. This includes any non-accidental physical injury that results in bruises, welts, cuts, burns, fractures, or other bodily harm, regardless of whether the injury was intended. 

Sexual Abuse Reporting Requirements

Sexual abuse is defined as any sexual activity between an adult and a minor, or between minors where there is a significant age or power differential. This includes but is not limited to sexual contact, penetration, exploitation, exposure to sexual materials or activities, and any conduct of a sexual nature that exploits a child's lack of knowledge, maturity, or capacity to consent. Sexual abuse also encompasses situations where a child is used for sexual gratification of others, including through photography, filming, or other forms of sexual exploitation. We report sexual abuse as defined under New York criminal law, and emotional or psychological abuse, which includes severe emotional harm, verbal abuse, or psychological manipulation. 

Statutory Rape Reporting Requirements

We are required to report all instances of statutory rape, which occurs when an individual engages in sexual activity with a minor below the age of consent, regardless of whether the minor appeared to consent to the activity. Under New York Penal Law Sections 130.25, 130.30, and 130.35, statutory rape includes:

• Sexual activity involving a child under 17 years of age with an adult 21 years or older (third-degree)

• Sexual activity involving a child under 15 years of age with an individual 18 years or older (second-degree)

• Sexual activity involving a child under 11 years of age (first-degree)

This reporting requirement applies even when the sexual activity appears consensual, as minors below the age of consent cannot legally consent to sexual activity with adults. We must report any knowledge or reasonable suspicion of statutory rape involving clients, regardless of the circumstances or the minor's stated consent.

Neglect and Abandonment Reporting Requirements

We also report neglect, which means that a responsible adult is failing to provide proper supervision or care, unreasonably hurting or allowing harm to happen, or misusing drugs or alcohol so much that the person loses self-control and is unable to care for children and youth who they are responsible for. Medical neglect happens when a responsible adult denies necessary medical care or treatment for a child or youth they are responsible for, or fails to follow critical medical treatment when life-threatening conditions go untreated.

Other Reportable Situations 

Other situations we report include exposure to harmful substances like drug manufacturing or distribution in the home, unsafe living conditions that pose health or safety risks, and communicable diseases (we have to report suspected or confirmed communicable diseases to local health departments within 24 hours, with some diseases requiring immediate phone reporting).

We report self-harm when teens pose immediate risk to themselves, credible threats to harm others (defined as specific threats against identifiable individuals with apparent means and opportunity), any form of human trafficking or exploitation, and exposure to domestic violence when required by state law, including witnessing or experiencing intimate partner violence.

Staff Training

All our staff get thorough training that covers recognizing signs of abuse and neglect, understanding what the law requires us to report in each state, best practices for being compassionate while doing our legal duties, and updated training on reducing bias in our decisions, spotting adverse childhood experiences, and recognizing abuse signs during virtual conversations. We also train on how to document everything properly and how to communicate in ways that don't cause more trauma.

Consultation and Escalation Procedures

Staff should consult with supervisors before reporting when time permits and the situation is not immediately dangerous. When supervisors are unavailable and staff are uncertain whether to report, they should err on the side of reporting. For complex situations involving multiple concerns or unclear state requirements, staff must escalate to clinical supervisors or legal consultation within 24 hours.

When Teens Ask Us Not to Report

When teens disclose abuse but request we not report, we explain that while we understand their concerns, our legal obligation requires us to report for their safety. We involve teens in safety planning when appropriate, help them understand the process, and maintain our supportive relationship throughout. We cannot promise confidentiality when safety is at risk, which we explain during our initial sessions.

Our Compassionate Approach

We know that mandatory reporting can make teens anxious. Our approach includes explaining the reporting process in ways teens can understand based on their age, giving emotional support throughout the whole process, connecting teens with additional help as needed, and keeping our supportive relationships with teens when it's possible and appropriate.

Dahlia Health operates under New York Social Services Law Article 6, Title 6, specifically Section 413. This law requires us to immediately report by phone to the New York State Central Register at 1-800-342-3720, send a written follow-up within 48 hours of the phone report, cooperate with any investigations and court proceedings that follow, and understand that Child Protective Services must begin investigating within 24 hours of getting the report.

The New York State Central Register number is 1-800-342-3720, or 1-800-638-5163 for TDD/TTY if you're deaf or hard of hearing.

In New York, people who have to report include doctors, nurses, licensed therapists, social service workers, emergency shelter employees, childcare workers, teachers and other school employees, counselors, mental health professionals, peace officers, and district attorneys. Since Dahlia Health staff provide healthcare and mental health support, we fall under these mandatory reporting requirements.

The law protects us from being sued or criminally charged when we make reports in good faith. However, if we fail to report suspected abuse or neglect, we can be charged with a Class A misdemeanor, which can result in up to one year in jail, a fine of up to $1,000, or both. No workplace can take action against an employee who makes a report to the State Central Register.

For teens who live outside New York, Dahlia Health follows the mandatory reporting requirements of their home state. All 50 states, Washington D.C., and U.S. territories have mandatory reporting laws, but the requirements are different in each place.

Most states require "immediate" reporting, but some give you 24-48 hours. Eighteen states require written reports within 24-48 hours of the initial phone report. New Jersey and Wyoming require ALL people to report, regardless of their job. Sixteen states plus D.C. require reporters to give their names and contact information. Some states also require reporting of human trafficking, female genital mutilation, or specific health conditions.

When we support teens from other states, we find out what state the teen lives in during our initial meeting, follow that state's specific mandatory reporting requirements, contact the right state child protective services agency, follow that state's specific timelines for phone and written reports, keep documentation that follows the strictest standards that apply, and give families information about their state's specific laws and procedures.

Our team keeps current information on reporting requirements for all states where we help teens, including state child protective services contact information, specific reporting timelines and procedures, required documentation and follow-up steps, and legal protections and penalties in each place. The National Child Abuse Hotline is 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453), and the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline provides referrals and resources.

Talking with Families

While teen safety comes first, we try to maintain trust by being transparent about our reporting responsibilities when families first join our program, explaining the reporting process to teens in ways they can understand based on their age, letting families know when it's safe and legally okay to do so, and giving ongoing support to both teens and families throughout the process. We emphasize that our reports are expressions of concern seeking additional support for families, not accusations of wrongdoing.

In some situations, we might not tell families right away, including when family members might be the ones causing harm, when telling them could increase risk to the teen, when law enforcement or child protective services tell us not to share information, or when court orders say we can't communicate about it. In those instances, there may need to be collaborative discussion with supervisors to determine the best approach, within the bounds of law, but also in view of ethical principles, particularly around beneficence. 

Documentation Requirements

All our mandatory reports include a detailed description of what happened with dates, times, and locations, direct quotes from what teens told us when possible, things we could observe that showed evidence of abuse or neglect, previous concerns or patterns of behavior we noticed, and what steps we took and which agencies we contacted.

Ongoing Care Coordination

After making mandatory reports, our team continues giving support when it's appropriate and safe, cooperates fully with investigating agencies, keeps detailed records of all our interactions, gives additional information when authorities ask for it, develops safety plans with teens when clinically appropriate, and coordinates care with investigating agencies to avoid duplication of trauma.