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Montana Child Abuse Laws
More Information on Child Abuse Laws
| Code Section | 41-3-102, 41-3-201, et seq. |
| What Constitutes Abuse | Harm or substantial risk of harm to child's health and welfare; or abandonment including acts or omissions of person responsible for child's welfare. Does not include self-defense, defense of others, or action taken to prevent self-harm of child. |
| Mandatory Reporting Required By | Physician, member of hospital staff, coroner, mental health professional, dentist, Christian Science practitioner, religious healers, school teachers and officials, social workers, day care/child care workers, foster care worker, clergy (unless privileged communication), law enforcement officer, guardian ad litem or court appointed advocate |
| Basis of Report of Abuse/neglect | Know or have reasonable cause to suspect that a child is abused or neglected |
| To Whom Reported | Department of Public Health and Human Services or its local affiliate |
| Penalty for Failure to Report or False Reporting | Guilty of misdemeanor and civilly liable for proximately caused damages |
Note: State laws are constantly changing -- contact an attorney or conduct your own legal research to verify the state law(s) you are researching.
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- Official State Codes - Links to the official online statutes (laws) in all 50 states and DC.
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