Who Has to Report Child Abuse
325 ILCS 5/4 — professionals who work with children report immediately on reasonable cause
The people the Act lists report immediately to the Department of Children and Family Services when they have reasonable cause to believe a child known to them in their professional or official capacity may be abused or neglected.
Who handles this in Illinois: legal aid programs, lawyer referral and the state offices, listed in the Illinois directory.
- Medical personnel, from physicians and nurses to emergency medical technicians and home health aides.
- Social services and mental health personnel, such as counselors, social workers and psychologists.
- Education, child care, recreation and law enforcement personnel, and the others the section names.
Knowingly and willfully breaking the section is a Class A misdemeanor the first time and a Class 4 felony after that. Knowingly making a false report to the Department is a Class 4 felony.
Sources for this section (1)
- 325 ILCS 5/4 — Persons required to report; privileged communications; transmitting false report
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of October 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Illinois attorney.