Mandated Reporter Academy
Skip to content

How to Report

Illinois (IL)

Quick Navigation

Who is required to report?

Citation: Comp. Stat. Ch. 325, § 5/4; Ch. 720, § 5/11-20.2

The following persons are required to report:

Medical personnel, including:

  • Physicians
  • Residents
  • Interns
  • Hospital administrators and personnel
  • Psychiatrists
  • Surgeons
  • Dentists
  • Dental hygienists
  • Osteopaths
  • Chiropractors
  • Podiatric physicians
  • Physician assistants
  • Emergency medical technicians
  • Physical therapists
  • Acupuncturists
  • Nurses
  • Genetic counselors
  • Respiratory care practitioners
  • Home health aides
  • Certified nursing assistants
  • Social services and mental health personnel, including:
  • Professional counselors
  • Social workers
  • Psychologists
  • Assistants working under the direct supervision of a psychologist
  • Marriage and family therapists
  • Social services administrators
  • Substance abuse treatment personnel
  • Field personnel of the following departments:
  • Department of Healthcare and Family Services
  • Department of Public Health
  • Department of Human Services
  • Department of Human Rights
  • Department of Children and Family Services
  • Supervisors or administrators of the General Assistance program under 305 ILCS § 5/6-1 et seq.

Crisis intervention personnel, including:

  • Crisis line or hotline personnel
  • Domestic violence program personnel
  • Education personnel, including:
  • School personnel (administrators, certified and noncertified employees)
  • Personnel of institutions of higher education
  • Educational advocates
  • Members of a school board
  • Members of the Chicago Board of Education
  • Members of the governing body of a private school
  • Truant officers
  • Recreation or athletic program/facility personnel or athletic trainers

Child care personnel, including:

  • Early intervention providers
  • Law enforcement personnel, including:
  • Law enforcement officers
  • Field personnel of the Department of Juvenile Justice
  • Field personnel of the Department of Corrections
  • Probation officers
  • Animal control officers
  • Field investigators of the Department of Agriculture's Bureau of Animal Health and Welfare

Funeral services personnel, including:

  • Funeral home directors
  • Embalmers
  • Funeral home employees
  • Coroners
  • Medical examiners
  • Members of the clergy

Personnel in abortion-related facilities, including:

  • Physicians
  • Physician assistants
  • Nurses
  • Medical technicians
  • Nursing assistants
  • Social workers
  • Professional counselors
    (Applies to any office, clinic, or location that provides abortions, abortion referrals, or contraceptives)
  • Commercial film and photographic print processors or computer technicians

When is a report required?

Citation: Cons. Stat. Ch. 325, §§ 5/4; 5/4.5; 5/7

Any mandated reporter who has reasonable cause to believe a child known to them in their professional or official capacity may be an abused or neglected child shall immediately report or cause a report to be made to the Department of Children and Family Services.

If an electronic and information technology equipment worker discovers any depiction of child pornography while installing, repairing, or otherwise servicing an item of electronic and information technology equipment, that worker or the worker’s employer shall immediately report the discovery to the local law enforcement agency or to the Cyber Tipline at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

All reports by mandated reporters shall be confirmed in writing to the appropriate child protective service unit, which may be on forms supplied by the department, within 48 hours of any initial report.

Written confirmation reports from persons not required to report may be made to the appropriate child protective service unit.

What information should the report include?

Citation: Cons. Stat. Ch. 325, §§ 5/7; 5/9

Reports shall include, if known:

  • Name and address of the child and the child’s parents or other persons having his custody
  • The child’s age
  • The nature of the child’s condition, including any evidence of previous injuries or disabilities
  • Any other information that the person filing the report believes might be helpful in:
    • Establishing the cause of such abuse or neglect
    • Identifying the person believed to have caused such abuse or neglect

Failure to report

Citation: Comp. Stat. Ch. 325, §§ 5/4.02; 5/4

Any physician who willfully fails to report suspected child abuse or neglect shall be referred to the Illinois State Medical Disciplinary Board for action in accordance with the Medical Practice Act of 1987. Any dentist or dental hygienist who willfully fails to report suspected child abuse or neglect shall be referred to the Department of Professional Regulation for action in accordance with the Illinois Dental Practice Act.

Any mandatory reporter who willfully fails to report suspected child abuse or neglect shall be guilty of a class A misdemeanor for a first violation and a class 4 felony for a second or subsequent violation.

Any person who knowingly and willfully violates any provision of this section is guilty of a class A misdemeanor for a first violation and a class 4 felony for a second or subsequent violation.

If the person acted as part of a plan or scheme with the object of preventing discovery of an abused or neglected child by lawful authorities for the purpose of protecting or insulating any person or entity from arrest or prosecution, the person is guilty of a class 4 felony for a first offense and a class 3 felony for a second or subsequent offense (regardless of whether the second or subsequent offense involves any of the same facts or persons as the first or other prior offense).