Everyone in the State of Florida is a mandated reporter re: child abuse

[Kadie]

With all the stories coming out about those who were told about Foley I started doing a little checking. Do we know if anyone from Florida was informed of this?


-WHO-

Who must report suspicions of child abuse?

Everyone in the State of Florida is a mandated reporter. Mandated reporters are required by law to report suspicions of child abuse to the Florida Abuse Hotline. This legal obligation supersedes any internal school/organization policy.

-WHAT-

What is child abuse?

There are five types of child abuse:

Neglect - chronic failure to provide basic needs.
Physical - non-accidental injury.
Sexual - sexual exploitation, may or may not involve physical contact.
Emotional - attacks on a child's self image.
Abandonment - willful withholding of support and communication by a custodial parent.


http://www.childprotectioncenter.com/reporting.asp


also on page 3 of this pdf file Florida department of children and families
http://www.dcf.state.fl.us/abuse/publications/mandatedreporters.pdf

[zonkers]

1. kick.

[Kagemusha]

2. Is there precedent that it applies to this situation?

I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade but, inapporpriate behavior and what I might characterize as, attempted sexual exploitation, doesn't necessarily mean it's clearly child abuse to an observer. You've also got um, jusrisdiction issues. I don't think pages work in Florida.

[fed-up]

5. found this def of sexual abuse but get an error message from footnote URL

http://www.cwla.org/articles/cv0111teachers.htm

Children's Voice Article, November 2001

When Should Teachers Report Abuse?

A child abuse investigator offers tips for educators

by Nancy Duncan

Sexual abuse. According to CAPTA, sexual abuse is the "employment, use, persuasion, inducement, enticement, or coercion of any child to engage in, or assist any other person to engage in, any sexually explicit conduct or simulation of such conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct."(6)

Sexual abuse includes any interactions between a child and adult caretaker in which the child is used for the sexual stimulation of the perpetrator or another person. Sexual abuse may also be committed by a person under the age of 18 when that person is either significantly older than the victim or when the perpetrator is in a position of power or control over the child.

6. National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information. (2001). What Is Child Maltreatment? Washington, DC: Children's Bureau, ACF, HHS. Available online at http://nccanch.acf.hhs.gov/pubs/index.cfm.

[Kadie]

6. I have no idea.

I was just wondering if anyone in Florida had been informed. I would think they would still be responsible for reporting it even if it didn't happen there. Or, maybe Foley was home in Florida when some of this happened?

:shrug:

[Kagemusha]

9. Florida doesn't have universal jurisdiction for sex crimes worldwide...

So having just said that, maybe there's some relevant law in D.C.

Or not. Apparently some congressman was censured for sexual exploitation of a page back in the 80's and continued to serve until the mid-90's and never set a foot inside a jail cell. The only law Foley himself may have violated might have been one he sponsored himself, re: cyber-predation.

Gotta love Congress.

[sandnsea]

10. He was in Pensacola

At least at one point in the conversations. He committed the exploitation in Florida, Florida has jurisdiction.

[Kagemusha]

11. Fair enough. Not sure how far you can push punishing people for this

I mean, for not reporting, when you have not been asked to report something as a result of a lawful inquiry and you are not in a position of special responsibility for the child involved. Not sure how that squares with the constitution (federal) all that well. Or criminal intent. Or specific knowledge of the part of this that took place in Florida. Would have to prove someone knew it was in Florida and didn't report it in Florida. It's a mess.

Can't they find something more solid to go after people on?

[Kadie]

12. Thanks sandnsea.

I found this website that links to all the states. I have only checked a few to see if they have mandated reporting.

http://www.virtus.org/virtus/Abuse_Reporting.cfm#LA

I wonder if this cover up will become a bigger deal than the act itself.

[madmusic]

3. What's the penalty?

What if someone isn't sure so doesn't report it. How many months/years do they get?

[Kagemusha]

4. Frankly I can't see how it's Florida jurisdiction anyway

No clue what the relevant laws are re: D.C.

[Hamlette]

7. we have the same law in Utah, I'm surprised not all states have it n/t

[RB TexLa]

8. bull, no one can make you report anything to the police

unless you are responsible for a child in someway. If you are not, you never have to report anything to the police, you can witness a murder and you do not have to call the police. Only if you were involved does not reporting ever come up.

[Toots]

13. Emotional - attacks on a child's self image.

Come on...Tell a child they are being lazy and not working hard enough on their schoolwork and get turned in for Emotional abuse. Calling a child lazy..My God the horror...

[StellaBlue]

14. and isn't it Florida

that has that ridiculous law about how you can use your concealed weapon to shoot people you see doing certain crimes? Like, without calling the police.

???

[bluedog]

15. he should be listed on "sex offenders list"

this should be the job of the Florida law enforcement.....

we do have online data bases for this..........I think they have to be convicted of the crime..........but...........others in Florida have the right to be warned about this......

I for one am writing the ST Times and stating this very thing.......

He has no right to be around children..schools playgrounds......and his neighbors should be warned about it him...

Be it just Cyber Sexual references...no one knows what else he has done in the area........