WYOMING
MANDATORY REPORTING LAWS
MANDATORY REPORTING LAWS
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Professionals required to report
No professional groups are specified in statute; all persons are required to report.
Other persons required to report
Citation: Ann. Stat. § 14-3-205
All persons must report.
Institutional responsibility to report
Citation: Ann. Stat. § 14-3-205(b)
If a person reporting child abuse or neglect is a member of the staff of a medical or other public or private institution, school, facility, or agency, he or she shall notify the person in charge or his or her designated agent, who is thereupon also responsible to make the report or cause the report to be made, as soon as possible. Nothing in this subsection is intended to relieve individuals of their obligation to report on their own behalf, unless a report has already been made or will be made. Any employer, public or private, who discharges, suspends, disciplines, or penalizes an employee solely for making a report of neglect or abuse is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for no more than 6 months or a fine of no more than $750, or both.
WHAT ARE THEY REQUIRED TO REPORT
Citation: Ann. Stat. §§ 14-3-205; 14-3-206
A report is required when any of the following apply:
• A person knows or has reasonable cause to believe or suspect that a child has been abused or neglected.
• A person observes any child being subjected to conditions or circumstances that would reasonably result in abuse or neglect. Effective July 1, 2019: Any physician, physician’s assistant, or nurse practitioner who examines a child and finds reasonable cause to believe the child is a victim of child abuse or neglect and has reasonable cause to believe that other children residing in the same home also may be a victim of child abuse or neglect shall report to law enforcement the results of the examination and facts supporting reasonable cause with respect to the other child or children.
PENALTIES FOR FAILING TO REPORT
Failure to Report
Citation: Ann. Stat. § 14-3-205
Any employer, public or private, who discharges, suspends, disciplines, or penalizes an employee solely for making a report of neglect or abuse is guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for no more than 6 months or a fine of no more than $750, or both.
PENALTIES FOR FALSE REPORTING
False Reporting
Citation: Ann. Stat. § 14-3-205(d)
Any person who knowingly and intentionally makes a false report of child abuse or neglect, or who encourages or coerces another person to make a false report, is guilty of a misdemeanor that is punishable by imprisonment for no more than 6 months or a fine of no more than $750, or both.
PRIVILEGED COMMUNICATIONS
Citation: Ann. Stat. § 14-3-210
Evidence regarding a child in any judicial proceeding resulting from a report made pursuant to the reporting laws shall not be
excluded on the ground it constitutes a privileged communication, as follows:
• Between husband and wife
• Claimed under any provision of law other than § 1-12-101(a)(i) (regarding attorney-client or physician-patient privilege) and § 1-12-101(a)(ii) (regarding privilege of a clergy member or priest as it relates to a confession made to him or her in his or her professional character if enjoined by the church to which he or she belongs)
• Claimed pursuant to § 1-12-116 (regarding the confidential communication between a family violence and sexual assault
advocate and victim)
REPORTER’S IDENTITY
Citation: Ann. Stat. § 14-3-206
The report must include any available photographs, videos, and x-rays with the identification of the person who created the evidence and the date the evidence was created.
Disclosure of Reporter Identity
This issue is not addressed in the statutes reviewed.