Librarians as mandated reporters of child abuse/neglect

The California legislature has a bill that would make public librarians in California mandated reporters of child abuse, but only with regard to child pornography found on the Internet.

Do any libraries have experience reporting suspected child abuse?  Could you relay your experience and any wisdom gained?

AB886. Amends the Mandated Child Abuse Reporting law to add library employees as mandated reporters:

(39) Employees of public libraries, provided, however, that reporting duties for these employees shall be limited to reporting the use of computers in public libraries, discovered in the course of their duties, to access, on the Internet or from other sources, any material that would constitute depictions of sexual exploitation as described in subdivision (c) of Section 11165.1.

Comments

[Nancy]

Childhelp® is a national organization that provides crisis assistance and other counseling and referral services. The Childhelp® National Child Abuse Hotline is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with professional crisis counselors who have access to a database of 55,000 emergency, social service, and support resources. All calls are anonymous. Contact them at 1.800.4.A.CHILD. (1.800.422.4453) If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected or if you are a child who is being maltreated, contact your local child protective services office or law enforcement agency, so professionals can assess the situation. Many States have a toll-free number to call to report suspected child abuse or neglect.

[VEDow]

PA already has a law on the books requiring library workers to report suspected child abuse.

[Mary]

I recommend libraries report child porn that they see on Internet computers .

Nevertheless, it doesn't make sense to put library staff in the mandated reporters section of the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act, with accompanying requirements when a simple phone call to law enforcement or a tip to CyberTip line should suffice.

Here you go:

11165.1. As used in this article, "sexual abuse" means sexual assault or sexual exploitation as defined by the following:
...
(c) "Sexual exploitation" refers to any of the following:
(1) Conduct involving matter depicting a minor engaged in obscene acts in violation of Section 311.2 (preparing, selling, or
distributing obscene matter) or subdivision (a) of Section 311.4 (employment of minor to perform obscene acts).
(2) Any person who knowingly promotes, aids, or assists, employs, uses, persuades, induces, or coerces a child, or any person
responsible for a child's welfare, who knowingly permits or encourages a child to engage in, or assist others to engage in, prostitution or a live performance involving obscene sexual conduct,or to either pose or model alone or with others for purposes of preparing a film, photograph, negative, slide, drawing, painting, or other pictorial depiction, involving obscene sexual conduct. For the purpose of this section, "person responsible for a child's welfare" means a parent, guardian, foster parent, or a licensed administrator or employee of a public or private residential home, residential school, or other residential institution.
(3) Any person who depicts a child in, or who knowingly develops, duplicates, prints, or exchanges, any film, photograph, video tape, negative, or slide in which a child is engaged in an act of obscene sexual conduct, except for those activities by law enforcement and prosecution agencies and other persons described in subdivisions (c) and (e) of Section 311.3.

from:
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/
(you can go here also to find more cross refs like 311.3)

[Dan Kleinman]

The title makes it sound bad but the limitations make it sound like a reasonable reaction to the Lindsay, CA, library firing the library employee for reporting child porn. See http://delicious.com/plan2succeed/LindsayCA

Would you please post subdivision (c) of Section 11165.1?