Art. 610. Reporting procedure; reports to the legislature and the United States Department of Defense Family Advocacy Program

            A.(1) A reporter shall immediately report suspected child abuse or neglect or that child abuse or neglect was a contributing factor in a child's death in the following ways:

            (a) To the Department of Children and Family Services if the reporter has reason to believe that the perpetrator is a parent or caretaker, a person who maintains an interpersonal dating or engagement relationship with the parent or caretaker, or a person living in the same residence with the parent or caretaker as a spouse whether married or not.

            (b) To a local or state law enforcement agency if the reporter has reason to believe that the abuse or neglect is being perpetrated by someone other than the individuals provided for in Subsubparagraph (a) of this Subparagraph. Abuse or neglect perpetrated on a student by a teaching or child care provider, as defined by Article 603, shall be immediately reported to local or state law enforcement.

            (c) Dual reporting to both the department and the local or state law enforcement agency is permitted.

            (2) Reports to the department shall be made as follows:

            (a) A mandatory reporter shall make a report of suspected abuse or neglect requiring immediate assistance via the designated state child protection reporting hotline telephone number. A report of suspected abuse or neglect which is of a nonemergency nature may be reported via the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services Mandated Reporter Portal online. Reports may also be made in person at any child welfare office.

            (b) If a report involves alleged sex trafficking, all mandatory reporters shall report via the hotline telephone number to the department regardless of whether there is alleged parental or caretaker culpability.

            (c) A permitted reporter shall make a report through the designated state child protection reporting hotline telephone number or in person at any child welfare office.

            (3) If a mandatory reporter is prohibited from immediately making the report required by this Chapter to the department or local or state law enforcement because of an employer's policies or employee manual, the mandatory reporter shall file a complaint with local or state law enforcement. Local or state law enforcement shall investigate the complaint, and an employer violating this Chapter shall be subject to the penalties provided for in R.S. 14:131.1 and 403. An employer shall not discriminate or retaliate against an employee who is a mandatory reporter for complying with this Article. If an employer is found discriminating or retaliating against an employee for complying with this Article, the employer shall be subject to double the fines provided for in R.S. 14:131.1 and 403.

            (4) In an investigation of a report of abuse or neglect allegedly committed by a parent or caretaker, the department shall determine whether the person is an active duty member of the United States Armed Forces or the spouse of a member on active duty. If the department determines that the person is an active duty member of the United States Armed Forces or the spouse of a member on active duty, the department shall notify the United States Department of Defense Family Advocacy Program at the closest active duty military installation of the investigation.

            B. The report shall contain the following information, if known:

            (1) The name, address, age, sex, and race of the child.

            (2) The nature, extent, and cause of the child's injuries or endangered condition, including any previous known or suspected abuse to this child or the child's siblings.

            (3) The name and address of the child's parent(s) or other caretaker.

            (4) The names and ages of all other members of the child's household.

            (5) The name and address of the reporter.

            (6) An account of how this child came to the reporter's attention.

            (7) Any explanation of the cause of the child's injury or condition offered by the child, the caretaker, or any other person.

            (8) The number of times the reporter has filed a report on the child or the child's siblings.

            (9) Any other information which the reporter believes might be important or relevant.

            C. The report shall also name the person or persons who are thought to have caused or contributed to the child's condition, if known, and the report shall contain the name of such person if he is named by the child.

            D. If the initial report was in oral form by a mandatory reporter, it shall be followed by a written report made within five days via the online Mandated Reporter Portal of the department or by mail to the centralized intake unit of the department at the address provided on the website of the department; or, if necessary, to the local law enforcement agency. The reporter may use a form for the written report, which shall be developed, approved, and made available by the Department of Children and Family Services. The form is optional and may be available electronically on the department's website.

            E.(1) All reports made to any local or state law enforcement agency involving abuse or neglect in which the child's parent or caretaker, a person who maintains an interpersonal dating or engagement relationship with the parent or caretaker, or a person living in the same residence with the parent or caretaker as a spouse whether married or not, is believed responsible shall be promptly communicated to the department through the designated state child protection reporting hotline telephone number in accordance with a written working agreement developed between the local law enforcement agency and the department.

            (2) The department shall promptly communicate abuse or neglect cases not involving a parent, caretaker, or occupant of the household to the appropriate law enforcement agency in accordance with a written working agreement developed between the department and law enforcement agency. The department also shall report all cases of child death which involve a suspicion of abuse or neglect as a contributing factor in the child's death to the local and state law enforcement agencies, the office of the district attorney, and the coroner.

            (3) Reports involving a felony-grade crime against a child shall be promptly communicated to the appropriate law enforcement authorities as part of the interagency protocols for multidisciplinary investigations of child abuse and neglect in each judicial district as provided in Articles 509 and 510.

            (4) The department shall communicate as soon as possible all reports involving alleged child victims of sex trafficking to the Louisiana State Police for referral to the appropriate local law enforcement agency for investigation or other action as appropriate.

            F. Any commercial film or photographic print processor who has knowledge of or observes, within the scope of this professional capacity or employment, any film, photograph, video tape, negative, or slide depicting a child who he knows or should know is under the age of seventeen years, which constitutes child pornography as defined in Article 603, shall report immediately to the local law enforcement agency having jurisdiction over the case. The reporter shall provide a copy of the film, photograph, videotape, negative, or slide to the agency receiving the report.

            G.(1) If a physician has cause to believe that a newborn was exposed in utero to an unlawfully used controlled dangerous substance, as defined by R.S. 40:961 et seq., the physician shall order a toxicology test upon the newborn, without the consent of the newborn's parents or guardian, to determine whether there is evidence of prenatal neglect. If the test results are positive, the physician shall issue a report, as soon as possible, in accordance with this Article. If the test results are negative, all identifying information shall be obliterated if the record is retained, unless the parent approves the inclusion of identifying information. Positive test results shall not be admissible in a criminal prosecution.

            (2) If there are symptoms of withdrawal in the newborn or other observable and harmful effects in his physical appearance or functioning that a physician has cause to believe are due to the chronic or severe use of alcohol by the mother during pregnancy or are the effects of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, the physician shall issue a report in accordance with this Article.

            H.(1) The provisions of this Paragraph shall be known and may be cited as The Alfred C. Williams Child Protection Act.

            (2) Beginning May 1, 2017, and annually thereafter, the department shall provide to the legislature the following child-specific information regarding reports of child abuse or neglect reported to the department pursuant to the provisions of this Article:

            (a) The actual or estimated age, the sex, and the race of each child at the time the latest report was received.

            (b) The parish location of primary case name of the latest report accepted for investigation received.

            (c) The categories, levels, and final findings assigned to each allegation contained in reports received for each child.

            (d) The number of cases accepted for investigation in which the child was an alleged or valid victim during the report year.

            (e) The number of cases accepted for investigation in which the child was a valid victim during the report year.

            (f) The number of reports accepted for investigation prior to report year in which the child was an alleged or valid victim.

            (g) The number of other alleged victims in reports accepted for investigation in each child's cases prior to report year.

            (h) The number of reports accepted for investigation prior to the report year in which the child was a valid victim.

            (i) The number of other validated victims in reports accepted for investigation in each child's cases prior to report year.

            (j) The number of distinct reporter names for all investigations in which the child is an alleged or valid victim.

            (3) For purposes of this Paragraph, the following words shall have the following meanings:

            (a) "Alleged victim" includes a child who is the subject of an investigation and for whom there is an allegation of abuse or neglect.

            (b) "Valid victim" or "validated victim" includes an alleged victim for whom one or more allegations of abuse or neglect have been determined to be justified pursuant to Article 615.

            (4) The information provided in the annual report required by Subparagraph (2) of this Paragraph shall not include the name, street address, or other identifying information of any child, parent, sibling, or reporter.

            (5) If the department fails to submit timely the report required by Subparagraph (2) of this Paragraph, then the legislature or either house thereof, through its authorized representative, may petition the Nineteenth Judicial District Court for writs of mandamus to compel the submission of the report. Any failure to obey a writ of mandamus issued by the court may be punishable by the court as contempt thereof.

            Acts 1991, No. 235, §6, eff. Jan. 1, 1992; Acts 1997, No. 1103, §1, eff. July 14, 1997; Acts 1999, No. 1178, §1, eff. July 9, 1999; Acts 2004, No. 75, §1, eff. May 28, 2004; Acts 2004, No. 78, §1, eff. May 28, 2004; Acts 2006, No. 157, §1; Acts 2007, No. 396, §1; Acts 2012, No. 268, §2, eff. May 25, 2012; Acts 2012, No. 614, §2, eff. June 7, 2012; Acts 2016, No. 302, §1; Acts 2017, No. 359, §§1, 3, and 4; Acts 2018, No. 104, §1; Acts 2018, No. 207, §1; Acts 2022, No. 662, §1, eff. Jan. 1, 2023; Acts 2024, No. 216, §1, eff. May 23, 2024.