Reports
HRS §350-1.1
in effect350-1.1. Reports
(a) Notwithstanding any other state law concerning confidentiality to the contrary, the following persons who, in their professional or official capacity, have reason to believe that child abuse or neglect has occurred or that there exists a substantial risk that child abuse or neglect may occur in the reasonably foreseeable future, shall immediately report the matter orally to the department or to the police department:
(1) Any licensed or registered professional of the
healing arts or any health-related occupation who examines, attends, treats, or
provides other professional or specialized services, including but not limited
to physicians, including physicians in training, psychologists, dentists,
nurses, osteopathic physicians and surgeons, optometrists, chiropractors,
podiatrists, pharmacists, and other health-related professionals;
(2) Employees or officers of any public or private
school;
(3) Employees or officers of any public or private
agency or institution, or other individuals, providing social, medical,
hospital, or mental health services, including financial assistance;
(4) Employees or officers of any law enforcement
agency, including but not limited to the courts, police departments, department
of law enforcement, correctional institutions, and parole or probation offices;
(5) Individual providers of child care, or employees
or officers of any licensed or registered child care facility, foster home, or
similar institution;
(6) Medical examiners or coroners;
(7) Employees of any public or private agency
providing recreational or sports activities;
(8) Commercial film and photographic print or image
processors;
(9) Commercial computer technicians; and
(10) Members of the clergy or custodians of records
therefor; provided that a member of the clergy shall not be required to report
information gained solely during a penitential communication, except when the
clergy member believes that there exists a substantial risk that child abuse or
neglect that is especially heinous, atrocious, or cruel, manifesting
exceptional depravity, may occur in the reasonably foreseeable future. When a
clergy member receives reportable information from any source other than a penitential
communication, the clergy member shall comply with the reporting requirements
of this section, regardless of whether the clergy member received the same
information during a penitential communication. For purposes of this
paragraph:
"Especially heinous, atrocious, or
cruel, manifesting exceptional depravity" has the same meaning as in
section 706-657.
"Penitential communication" means a
communication, including a sacramental confession, that is intended to be kept
confidential and is made to a member of the clergy who, in the course of the
discipline or practice of the applicable religious organization, is authorized
or accustomed to hear those communications, and under the discipline, tenets,
customs, or practices of the applicable religious organization, has a duty to
keep those communications secret.
(b) Whenever a person designated in subsection
(a) is a member of the staff of any public or private school, agency, or
institution, that staff member shall immediately report the known or suspected
child abuse or neglect directly to the department or to the police department
and also shall immediately notify the person in charge or a designated delegate
of the report made in accordance with this chapter.
(c) The initial oral report shall be followed
as soon as possible by a report in writing to the department; provided that:
(1) If a police department or the department of law
enforcement is the initiating agency, a written report shall be filed with the
department for cases that the police or the department of law enforcement takes
further action on or for active cases in the department under this chapter;
(2) All written reports shall contain the name and
address of the child and the child's parents or other persons responsible for
the child's care, if known, the child's age, the nature and extent of the
child's injuries, and any other information that the reporter believes might be
helpful or relevant to the investigation of the child abuse or neglect; and
(3) This subsection shall not be construed to serve
as a cause of action against the department, the police, or the department of
law enforcement.
(d) Any person subject to subsection (a), upon
demand of the department or any police department, shall provide all
information related to the alleged incident of child abuse or neglect,
including but not limited to medical records and medical reports and any image,
film, video, or other electronic medium, that was not included in the written
report submitted pursuant to subsection (c).
(e) The director may adopt, amend, or repeal
rules, subject to chapter 91, to further define or clarify the specific forms
of child abuse or neglect enumerated in section 350-1 for use in implementing
this chapter; provided that rules adopted under this subsection shall be
limited to such further or clarifying definitions.
[L 1967, c 261, §2; HRS
§350-1; am L 1970, c 21, §1 and c 105, §5; am L 1975, c 147, §1; am L 1977, c
81, §2; am L 1979, c 171, §1; am L 1981, c 59, §1; ren and am L 1982, c 77, §2;
am L 1985, c 17, §1 and c 208, §3; am L 1987, c 204, §4 and c 339, §4; am L
1988, c 323, §2; am L 1998, c 134, §4; am L 1999, c 271, §4; am L 2000, c 248,
§1; am L 2006, c 159, §1 and c 193, §2; am L 2020, c 35, §3; am L 2022, c 278, §17;
am L 2023, c 80, §2]
Source: Hawaii State Legislature (capitol.hawaii.gov), via Internet Archive capturesURL: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol07_Ch0346-0398/HRS0350/HRS_0350-0001_0001.htmFetched: 11/10/2026