Child abuse investigations in Pennsylvania are governed by the Child Protective Services Law (CPSL). Some of these changes have been driven by the Penn State and Catholic Church sex abuse scandals. The last and most sweeping of these changes took affect December 31, 2014. Although these changes mostly affect educators, they also apply to almost any person who comes into contact with children as part of his/her employment or volunteer service. For instance, part-time volunteer sports coaches, little league coaches, scout masters, counselors at a university’s summer sports camp, or anyone else who comes into contact with children as part of employment or volunteer service. Therefore, as a nurse, doctor, pharmacist or other healthcare professional, if you volunteer in any capacity where you come into contact with children, you may now be required to report child abuse. If you fail to do so, you could be charged criminally. If charged criminally, this will affect your professional license. Please find a copy of THE ACT here. For questions or more information on this topic, please contact me.
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