Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect in Colorado

A mandatory reporter is defined as a professional who is obligated by law to report known or suspected incidents of child abuse and/or neglect. Mandatory reporters are part of the safety net that protects children and youth and have the ability to provide lifesaving help to child victims in our community.

More than 40 categories of professions are considered mandatory reports of child abuse and neglect in Colorado, including the following:

• Physician or surgeon, including a physician in training
• Child health associate
• Medical examiner or coroner
• Dentist
• Osteopath
• Optometrist
• Chiropractor
• Podiatrist
• Registered nurse or licensed practical nurse
• Hospital personnel engaged in the admission, care, or treatment of patients;
• Mental health professional
• Dental therapist or dental hygienist
• Psychologist
• Physical therapist
• Pharmacist
• Licensed professional counselors
• Licensed marriage and family therapists
• Unlicensed psychotherapists
• Registered dietitian who holds a certificate through the commission on dietetic registration 
• Person who is registered as a psychologist candidate, marriage and family therapist candidate, or licensed professional counselor candidate
• Marriage and family therapist candidate
• Professional counselor candidate
• Naturopathic Doctors
• Emergency medical service providers
• Naturopathic doctor registered
• Social worker or worker in any licensed or certified facility or agency
• Juvenile parole and probation officers
• Child and family investigators
• Worker in the state department of human services
• Officers and agents of the state bureau of animal protection, and animal control officers
• The Child Protection Ombudsman
• Officials or employees of county departments of health, human services or social services
• Employees of the department of early childhood
• Peace officer
• Firefighter
• Public or private school official or employee
• Educator providing services through a federal special supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children
• Director, coach, assistant coach, or athletic program personnel employed by a private sports organization or program
• Clergy and Religious Professionals:
• Clergy member including, priest, rabbi, duly ordained, commissioned, or licensed minister of a church, member of a religious order, or recognized leader of any religious body
• Christian science practitioner
• Specialized Professionals:
• Commercial film and photographic print processor
• Veterinarian

Explore the Full List of Reporters

It is your legal responsibility to make a call to the Colorado Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline 844-CO-4-KIDS or local law enforcement within 24 hours of any suspected child abuse and/or neglect. In case of an emergency call 911.

If you work in an institutional setting, such as a school, hospital or behavioral health program, reporting suspicions of child abuse and/or neglect to your supervisor does not relieve your responsibility to report, nor does your reporting relieve the institution’s responsibility to report.

House Bill 25-1188 requires that mandated reporters make a report within 24 hours.

First, it is important to remember that reporting is both a legal responsibility and a vital part of your role at your organization. Mandatory reporters are a key part of the safety net that protects children and youth, and your actions can provide lifesaving help to those who may be at risk. Just as importantly, you should report suspicions and knowledge of child abuse and/or neglect in order to:

• protect the victim and other children in the home;
• prevent harm to other children to whom the person responsible for abuse and/or neglect may have access;
• prevent future abuse and/or neglect;
• help provide services to families and children; and,
• promote positive changes in families.

Colorado has strong child safety laws and dedicated professionals whose job is to help protect children or youth when a report is made. You’re often the first to see signs that something may be wrong, and your actions can connect children and families to the help they need.

Any person in a community who knows or has reason to suspect child abuse and/or neglect can and should make a report. Individuals who frequently work with children are often the first adults to see signs of child abuse and/or neglect. The nature of their child-friendly professions makes them uniquely qualified to protect children from abuse and/or neglect. Since mandatory reporters are trained professionals, these reports are consistently more reliable than reports from the public and provide the agency with the best leads to in need of children protection and services.

It is better to be safe than sorry – make the call. Colorado state law indicates that:

A report is required when a mandatory reporter has reasonable cause to know or suspect that a child has been subjected to abuse or neglect or has observed the child being subjected to circumstances or conditions that would reasonably result in abuse or neglect.

Individuals or institutions in Colorado who report suspected child abuse and/or neglect “shall be immune from any liability, civil or criminal, or termination of employment that otherwise might result by reason of such acts of participation, unless a court of competent jurisdiction determines that such person’s behavior was willful, wanton and malicious” if they report in “good faith,” which means they have not reported recklessly or with no reasonable basis for making a report. 

Following your employer’s procedures does not exempt you from reporting to the Colorado Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline. Your employer must comply with state law and regulations and can’t impede you from filing a report.

As a mandatory reporter you cannot delegate your duty to someone who lacks firsthand concern, suspicion or knowledge of the situation.

You are not required to make a report when you are not working in your professional role.

Yes, there are legal consequences for not reporting.  You could be charged with a class 2 misdemeanor, receive a fine of $750 and/or imprisonment up to six months, and be liable for what the law terms “damages approximately caused” if you fail to report a suspicion of child abuse or neglect.

Every time you make a call, you should request – and write down – a hotline ID number. As a mandatory reporter with a legal requirement to report concerns about child abuse or neglect, you can use the hotline ID as documentation for the call.

Yes. Child protective services and its employees are required by law not to disclose the name of the mandatory reporter to the family. However, this confidentiality does not apply to reports made to law enforcement.

In addition, it is possible that as a reporter of child abuse and/or neglect, you may be called to testify at a civil or criminal trial regarding the allegations. The victim’s parents and/or family members may be present at that hearing. Remember, it is important that you act as the eyes and ears for the child protection safety net. If reports of maltreatment are not made, appropriate services will not be delivered to the children and families who need them. Without your call, the abuse and/or neglect may continue. 

Statute requires the following information be provided to the specified mandatory reporter within 60 days of making the report:

(A) The name of the child and the date of the report;

(B) Whether the referral was accepted for assessment;

(C) Whether the referral was closed without services;

(D) Whether the assessment resulted in services related to the safety of the child;

(E) The name of and contact information for the county caseworker responsible for investigating the referral; and

To learn more about the information that can be shared with a specified mandatory reporter please review 19-1-307. Dependency and neglect records and information in Title 19 Children’s Code.

Note: A specified mandatory reporter is someone who is and continues to be officially and professionally involved in the ongoing care of the child who was the subject of the report, but only with regard to information that the mandatory reporter has a need to know in order to fulfill the mandatory reporter’s professional and official role in maintaining the child’s safety.