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Pennsylvania Child Abuse Laws
More Information on Child Abuse Laws
| Code Section | 23§6303, et seq. |
| What Constitutes Abuse | Act which causes nonaccidental serious physical injury, sexual abuse/exploitation, serious physical neglect constituting prolonged or repeated lack of supervision or failure to provide essentials of life |
| Mandatory Reporting Required By | Physician, coroner, dentist, chiropractor, hospital personnel, Christian Science practitioner, clergy, school teacher/nurse/administrator, social services worker, day care or child center worker, mental health professional, peace officer, law enforcement official, funeral director, foster care worker |
| Basis of Report of Abuse/neglect | Reasonable cause to suspect (within their respective training) that child is abused |
| To Whom Reported | Department of Public Welfare of the Commonwealth |
| Penalty for Failure to Report or False Reporting | Summary offense for 1st violation; misdemeanor in 3rd degree for 2nd and subsequent offenses |
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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