Skip to main content. California, like many other states, has a broad net of mandatory reporting laws.
This can leave families most in need of support and resources afraid to ask for it. Mandated reporting laws require certain people, called mandated reporters, to report any known or suspected instances of child abuse or neglect to the county child welfare department, often called child protective services CPS or a local law enforcement agency.
Under these laws, if a mandated reporter does not make a report when they are supposed to, they can face serious penalties. Other people can choose to report to CPS, but mandated reporters have to report. Mandated reporters are primarily people who have contact with children through their employment, such as:. Attorneys are not mandated reporters.
People who are not mandated reporters who suspect child abuse or neglect may report but are not required to do so. No actual proof of abuse or neglect is needed. California law defines neglect as when a parent or caretaker fails to provide a child with adequate food, clothing, shelter, medical care, or supervision. Generally, a parent or guardian has the right to discipline their own child by administering reasonable punishment. For example, a parent or guardian may legally spank a child, but the spanking cannot be excessive.
Courts generally find that if the spanking inflicts an injury, it has crossed the line from reasonable punishment to child abuse. Domestic violence in the household does not automatically trigger a report to Child Protective Services.
