Frequently asked questions

If there are a group of mandatory reporters in a conference, and they all form a belief about a child being sexually abused, do they all have to put in a report?

No. A person charged with an offence of failing to report has a defence if that person proves he or she honestly and reasonably believed that all of the reasonable grounds for his or her belief were the subject of a report made by another person.

Accordingly, reporters can confer and decide that one reporter will make the report on behalf of all the reporters. In this case, this information, and the names of the other reporters who were part of the conference and decision to provide a report, need to be provided in the free text box of the report.  Individual reporters can also decide to provide their own report as well as, or instead of, that one report.