Mandatory Reporting Requirements

(for all licensed acupuncturists)

CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT REPORTING

California Penal Code (PC) section 11166 requires you, as a person licensed or certified under Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code, to report known or reasonable suspected child abuse or neglect to:

• Any police or sheriff's department (not including a school district police or security department);
• The county probation department (if designated by the county to receive mandated reports); or
• The county welfare department.

For more information on the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act, refer to PC sections 11164 et seq.

ELDER OR DEPENDENT ADULT ABUSE REPORTING

California Welfare and Institutions (W&I) Code section 15630 requires you, as a health care professional, to report know or suspected elder or dependent adult abuse to:

• If the abuse occurred in a long-term care facility (except a state mental health hospital or state developmental center), the report shall be made to the local ombudsman or the local law enforcement agency;
• If the abuse occurred in a state mental health hospital or state development center, the report shall be made to designated investigators of the State Department of Mental Health or the State Department of Developmental Serviced, or to local law enforcement agencies;
• If the abuse occurred in any other setting, the report shall be made to adult protective services agency or local law enforcement agencies.

For more information on the Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act, refer to W&I Code sections 15600 et seq.

Failure to comply with the requirements of these acts is a misdemeanor, punishable by up to six months in a county jail, by a fine of one thousand dollars ($1,000), or by both imprisonment and fine.