Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect - North Carolina

Professionals Required to Report
Citation: Gen. Stat. § 7B-301

Any person or institution that has cause to suspect abuse or neglect shall report. 

Training Requirements for Mandatory Reporters

Training for mandatory reporters is not addressed in the laws and policies reviewed. 

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services provides a brief overview of the responsibility for individuals to report suspected child maltreatment as well as the signs and indicators of abuse and neglect on its webpage About Child Abuse and Child Neglect.

Reporting by Other Persons
Citation: Gen. Stat. § 7B-301

All persons who have cause to suspect that any juvenile is abused, neglected, or dependent or has died as the result of maltreatment shall report. 

Institutional Responsibility to Report

This issue is not addressed in the statutes reviewed. 

Standards for Making a Report
Citation: Gen. Stat. § 7B-301

A report is required when a reporter has cause to suspect that any juvenile is abused, neglected, or dependent or has died as the result of maltreatment. 

Privileged Communications
Citation: Gen. Stat. § 7B-310

No privilege shall be grounds for failing to report, even if the knowledge or suspicion is acquired in an official professional capacity, except when the knowledge or suspicion is gained by an attorney from that attorney's client during representation only in the abuse, neglect, or dependency case. No privilege, except the attorney-client privilege, shall be grounds for excluding evidence of abuse, neglect, or dependency. 

Inclusion of the Reporter's Name in the Report
Citation: Gen. Stat. § 7B-301

The report must include the name, address, and telephone number of the reporter. 

Disclosure of the Reporter's Identity
Citation: Gen. Stat. § 7B-302

The Department of Social Services shall hold the identity of the reporter in strictest confidence, except that the department shall disclose confidential information regarding the identity of the reporter to any Federal, State, or local government entity or its agent with a court order. The department may only disclose confidential information regarding the identity of the reporter to a Federal, State, or local government entity or its agent without a court order when the entity demonstrates a need for the reporter's name to carry out the entity's mandated responsibilities. 

An individual member or a joint legislative oversight committee of the North Carolina General Assembly may request access to confidential information and records maintained by the department. The request shall be limited to purposes necessary for oversight of programs related to child protective services. The confidential information or records shared shall be the minimum necessary to satisfy the request. The identity of a reporter shall remain confidential and shall not be shared or disclosed in response to a request for information and records.