TRAINING FOR MANDATED REPORTERS
If you suspect child abuse or neglect you have a social responsibility to report it to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) hotline:
In addition, state law requires that most professionals who work with children report to Illinois DCFS when they have reasonable cause to believe that a child known to them in their professional or official capacities may be an abused or neglected child. These individuals are called mandated reporters and include:
- Medical personnel
- Social service and mental health personnel
- Crisis intervention personnel
- Education personnel
- Recreation or athletic program or facility personnel
- Childcare personnel
- Law enforcement personnel
- Funeral home directors, embalmers and funeral home employees
- Coroners and medical examiners
To help mandated reporters understand their critical role in protecting children by recognizing and reporting child abuse, DCFS administers an online training course entitled Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse: Training for Mandated Reporters, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
