Who is mandated to report?

Are all health clinicians mandated to report?

  • Yes.

Who else is a mandated reporter?

  • Any person, agency, organization, or entity that knows or in good faith suspects child abuse or neglect shall make a report. For purposes of this section, ‘person’ shall include, but not be limited to:
    • Physicians, interns, residents, nurses, or medical examiners
    • Other persons in the healing arts, including persons licensed to render services in medicine, osteopathy, or dentistry
    • School employees, social workers, or psychologists
    • Hospitals or health-care institutions
    • The Medical Society of Delaware
    • Law enforcement agencies

For more information, refer to Mandatory Reporters of Child Abuse and Neglect at the Child Welfare Information Gateway.

When is the reporting duty triggered?

What is the standard?

  • A report is required when the reporter knows or in good faith suspects child abuse or neglect.

For more information, refer to Mandatory Reporters of Child Abuse and Neglect at the Child Welfare Information Gateway.

What must be reported?

How does state law define child abuse and neglect for reporting purposes?

  • Mandated reporters must report “child abuse or neglect” as defined by Delaware Code 901, Title 10 and any case law and other legal guidance interpreting the statute.
    • "Abuse" or "abused child" means that a person:
    • "Neglect" or "neglected child" means that a person:
      • Is responsible for the care, custody, and/or control of the child; and
      • Has the ability and financial means to provide for the care of the child; and
        • Fails to provide necessary care with regard to: food, clothing, shelter, education, health, medical or other care necessary for the child's emotional, physical, or mental health, or safety and general well-being; or
        • Chronically and severely abuses alcohol or a controlled substance, is not active in treatment for such abuse, and the abuse threatens the child's ability to receive care necessary for that child's safety and general well-being; or
        • Fails to provide necessary supervision appropriate for a child when the child is unable to care for that child's own basic needs or safety, after considering such factors as the child's age, mental ability, physical condition, the length of the caretaker's absence, and the context of the child's environment.

Are child molestation, sexual abuse, rape, statutory rape, incest, intimate partner violence, sexual exploitation and/or trafficking of a minor reportable as child abuse or neglect and if so, how are they defined and what is reportable?

For more information, refer to definitions of sexual abuse/offenses and child abuse and neglect in Delaware Criminal Code.

How to report:

What is the method of reporting?

  • In addition to and not in lieu of reporting to the Division of Family Services, any such person also may give oral or written notification of that knowledge or suspicion to any police officer who is in the presence of such person for the purpose of rendering assistance to the child in question or investigating the cause of the child's injuries or condition.
  • Any report of child abuse or neglect required to be made under this chapter shall be made by contacting the child abuse and neglect report line for the Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families. An immediate oral report shall be made by telephone or otherwise.

For more information, refer to Making and Screening Reports of Child Abuse and Neglect at the Child Welfare Information Gateway.

What is the timeline in which to report?

  • An immediate report must be made by any person, agency, organization, or agency who knows or in good faith suspects child abuse or neglect.

For more information, refer to Making and Screening Reports of Child Abuse and Neglect at the Child Welfare Information Gateway.

To whom are reports made?

  • Any report required by the reporting laws shall be made to the Division of Child Protective Services in the Department of Services for Children, Youth, and Their Families. The division will maintain a 24-hour toll-free telephone line for accepting reports.

For more information, refer to Making and Screening Reports of Child Abuse and Neglect at the Child Welfare Information Gateway.

State/County Hotline?

Confidentiality:

What federal confidentiality laws apply to health information collected during a Title X visit?

  • Title X regulations 42 CFR 59.11
  • HIPAA 45 CFR 164.502

Is there an exception in federal confidentiality law that allows a clinician to comply with mandatory child abuse reporting laws?

  • Yes.