Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect

January 29, 2015

UCLA Office of the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost

Dear Colleagues:

All of us in the UCLA community share the obligation to protect the health and safety of minors who participate in programs sponsored by or affiliated with UCLA. It is vital that we safeguard their well-being and report potential concerns.

Revisions to California’s Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting require employers to identify “mandated reporters” who have the legal obligation to report observed or suspected child abuse to law enforcement agencies or Child Protective Services. The University of California’s Policy on Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect established additional internal reporting requirements for mandated reporters and the process for identifying mandated reporters in order to comply with CANRA.

A campus task force on reporting child abuse and neglect was appointed in 2013 to consider how best to implement the university’s policy at UCLA. The task force developed a campus-wide policy that, after formal review and comment from the UCLA community, was introduced in August 2014 as UCLA Policy 136: Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect. This policy defines the criteria for UCLA employees or officials who qualify as mandated reporters and outlines their responsibilities and the responsibilities of the mandated reporter’s supervisor and department head.

Please read the policy carefully. The forms attached to the policy are required to be completed and submitted to the appropriate human resources representative. Questions can be directed to the task force on reporting child abuse and neglect.

Your supervisor or department head can provide access to online training for mandated reporters and other helpful courses on preventing child abuse. Chancellor Block and I strongly recommend the mandated reporter course, which should take less than 20 minutes to complete. Questions may be sent to the Office of Insurance & Risk Management at info@irm.ucla.edu.

Thank you for helping to ensure the safety of children at UCLA.

Sincerely,

Scott L. Waugh
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost