Vermont

How does state law define child abuse and neglect for reporting purposes?

• Mandated reporters must report abuse or neglect as defined by Vermont Code section 4912 of Title 33 and legal guidance interpreting the statute.
  • “Abused or neglected child” means:
    • A child whose physical health, psychological growth and development, or welfare is harmed or is at substantial risk of harm by the acts or omissions of his or her parent of other person responsible for the child’s welfare.
    • An “abused or neglect child” also means a child who is sexually abused or at substantial risk of sexual abuse by any person and a child who has dies as a result of abuse or neglect.
    • “Sexual abuse” consists of any act or acts by any person involving sexual molestation or exploitation of a child including:
      • Incest;
      • Prostitution;
      • Rape;
      • Sodomy;
      • Lewd and lascivious conduct involving a child;
      • Aiding, abetting, counseling, hiring, or procuring of a child to perform or participate in any photograph, motion picture, exhibition, show, representation, or other presentation which, in whole or in part, depicts sexual conduct, sexual excitement, or sadomasochistic abuse involving a child;
      • Viewing, possessing, or transmitting child pornography, with the exclusion of the exchange of images between mutually consenting minors, including the minor whose image is exchanged;
      • Human trafficking;
      • Sexual assault;
      • Voyeurism;
      • Luring a child; or
      • Obscenity

Are child molestation, sexual abuse, rape, statutory rape, incest, intimate partner violence, sexual exploitation and/or trafficking of a minor reportable as child abuse or neglect and if so, how are they defined and what is reportable?

For the most current definitions of these terms, refer to the Vermont Statutes at the Vermont General Assembly website.