There is no legal duty on an individual to report an abuse; however, a person may be under a duty to report an abuse by virtue of their employment.
Some employers are under a duty to have a child protection policy within their workplace which places a duty upon their employees to safeguard and promote the welfare of children; this includes reporting an abuse to the relevant authorities. Schools, colleges, health authorities and health trusts are under this duty.
Other professionals are not necessarily under an obligation to report child abuse, although they would be highly criticised if they did not and it is advisable that they have a child protection policy.
Most organisations working with children do have published policies and procedures to deal with child abuse, however, some organisations, such as the Samaritans have a policy that they will never disclose what they are being told.
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