Reporting Abuse
How to Report Abuse or Neglect
Contact Sherburne County Health and Human Services at 763-765-4000 or the police if you believe that a child is being hurt or neglected. Professionals whose jobs involve the care of children, such as doctors, teachers and ministers, are required by law to report suspected child abuse or neglect. Other people such as neighbors or relatives are encouraged to report if they think a child is being abused or neglect.
For more details about reporting: Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect: A Resource Guide for Mandated Reporters in English (PDF).
Mandated Reporter Training Available
Workers in a number of professions, including health care, social services, psychological treatment, child care, education, corrections, law enforcement and clergy, are required to report suspected child maltreatment. To help mandated reporters better understand the law and reporting requirements, An Interactive Informational Guide for Mandated Reporting is available. This comprehensive training is organized in six modules: an overview of Minnesota's child protection system, the intersection of poverty and neglect and a discussion of racial disparities, the basics of mandated reporting, physical abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. The training is flexible, allowing users to navigate to any module at any time.
About the Reporting Process
For information on the child protection process, including what happens when a report of child maltreatment is accepted by a county or tribe, see the brochure Families' Guide to Child Protection (PDF).