Mandated Reporting in Vermont
Duty to Warn
Vermont has a duty-to-warn statute, which requires “a mental health professional who knows or, based upon the standards of the mental health profession, should know that his or her patient poses a serious risk of danger to an identifiable victim has a duty to exercise reasonable care to protect him or her from that danger.”
The full text of the legislative bill establishing this duty, which is based on a prior judicial decision, can be found here. You can read the statute as enacted at Vermont General Assembly’s website.
Child Abuse, Neglect, & Exploitation
Vermont law also requires all mental health professionals to report a reasonable belief of the neglect, abuse, or exploitation of a child within 24 hours of the time they receive the information. As with vulnerable adults, Vermont statutes define “neglect,” “abuse,” and “exploitation.”
If you’d like to read more about the circumstances under which you must report a reasonable belief of neglect, abuse, or exploitation, you can that Vermont statute here.
The Vermont Department for Children & Families has additional guidance on filing a report on their web page.
Adult Abuse, Neglect & Exploitation
Vermont law requires that a psychologist, or other mental health professional generally, who knows of or has received information of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a vulnerable adult or who has reason to suspect that any vulnerable adult has been abused, neglected, or exploited shall report or cause a report to be made” to Adult Protective Services within 48 hours of discovering the potential abuse, neglect, and/or exploitation. You can read the statute here.
Vermont law also explicitly sets out what actions or behaviors constitute “abuse, neglect, or exploitation, and you can read that here.
Adult Protective Services has instructions on how to file a report on their web page.