Any authorized adult or program staff or other mandatory reporter under Georgia law who has reasonable cause to believe that suspected child abuse has occurred, shall immediately report the suspected abuse to the institution police department and the appropriate supervisor or program administrator who is able to take immediate action. (The USG further expects that any other USG employee, whether a mandatory reporter or not, will also appropriately report suspected child abuse.) The institution must ensure that the Division of Family and Children Services is notified of the suspected abuse immediately and in no case later than 24 hours after the authorized adult or program staff (or other reporter) first had reasonable cause to suspect the abuse. For additional information please refer to the USG mandatory reporting policy for child abuse.
For authorized adults and program staff that are not university employees and serving authorized programs run by non-university operators, compliance with O.C.G.A. § 19-7-5 is required. The statute requires child service organization personnel to report information regarding suspected child abuse to the university (Police Department at 706-864-1500) and the Georgia Department of Human Services (1-855-GACHILD (422-4453)). Anyone who fails to do so may be guilty of a misdemeanor. Free training for mandatory reporters is provided through the State of Georgia Office of the Child Advocate.