MANDATED REPORTING POLICY

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All employees at The Crime Victims' Center of Chester County, Inc. are mandated reporters. If a CVC employee suspects, sees, or hears that a child is being abused, he/she is required by law to make a report to Child Line. 

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Mandated reporters are required to make a report of suspected child abuse if they have reasonable cause to suspect that a child is a victim of abuse under any of the following circumstances:

• They come into contact with the child in the course of employment, occupation, and practice of a profession or through a regularly scheduled program, activity or service.
• They are directly responsible for the care, supervision, guidance, or training of the child, or are affiliated with an agency, institution, organization, school, regularly established church, or religious organization or other entity that is directly responsible for the care, supervision, guidance, or training of the child.
• A person makes a specific disclosure to the mandated reporter that an identifiable child is the victim of child abuse.
• An individual 14 years of age or older makes a specific disclosure to the mandated reporter that an individual has committed child abuse.

It is not required that the child come before the mandated reporter in order to make a report of suspected child abuse nor are they required to identify the person responsible for the child abuse to make a report of suspected child abuse. 

 

 

CLIENT GRIEVANCE POLICY 

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If, as a client of The Crime Victims’ Center of Chester County, Inc. (CVC), you have a grievance related to services you received or services you think you should have received, the following steps are available for you to take:

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1. Alert your Counselor/ Advocate about the nature of your grievance
2. Attempt to resolve the grievance with your Counselor/Advocate

 

If you are not satisfied after the first two steps, you may then:
3. Ask to speak to a CVC Supervisor to discuss your grievance

If you are still not satisfied after this step, you may:
4. Request a meeting with CVC's Executive Director
 

If, after a meeting with the Executive Director, you feel that your grievance has not been resolved, you may report your grievance to:

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       The Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare - If you have been a victim of sexual assault.
       The Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency - If you have been a victim of a crime other than sexual              assault.

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Please note that if you are uncomfortable with the first two steps, you may go directly to Step 3. CVC will inform you of your options & will provide assistance should you go through the grievance process.

It is the mission of CVC’s Direct Service Program to support and empower victims of crime/violence and their families.  If you feel CVC is not providing you with the appropriate supportive services, we would appreciate your feedback. 

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CONFIDENTIALITY POLICY

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PA St 42 Pa.C.S.A. S 5945.1

42 Pa.C.S.A. § 5945.1

PURDON’S PENNSYLVANIA STATUTUES AND CONSOLIDATED STATUTES ANNOTATED
PURDON’S PENNSYLVANIA CONSOLIDATED STATUTES ANNOTATED
TITLE 42. JUDICIARY AND JUDICIAL PROCEDURE
PART VI. ACTIONS, PROCEEDINGS AND OTHER MATTERS GENERALLY
CHAPTER 59. DEPOSITIONS AND WITNESSES
SUBCHAPTER A. WITNESSES GENERALLY
CERTAIN PRIVILEGES AND IMMUNITIES
Copr. © West Group 2001. All rights reserved
Current through End of the 2000 Regular Session

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§ 5945.1. Confidential communications to sexual assault counselors

(A) Definitions. -- As used in this section, the following words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection:
“Confidential communication.” All information, oral or written, transmitted between a victim of sexual assault and a sexual assault counselor in the course of their relationship, including, but not limited to, any advice, reports, statistical data, memoranda, working papers, records or the like, given or made during that relationship, including matters transmitted between the sexual assault counselor and the victim through the use of an interpreter.
“Co-participant.” A victim participating in group counseling.
“Interpreter.” A person who translates communications between a sexual assault counselor and a victim through the use of sign language, visual, oral or written translation.
“Rape crisis center.” Any office, institution or center offering assistance to victim of sexual assault and their families through crisis intervention, medical and legal accompaniment and follow-up counseling.
“Sexual assault counselor.” A person who is engaged in any office, institution or center defined as a rape crisis center under this section, which had undergone 40 hours of sexual assault training and is under the control of a direct services supervisor of a rape crisis center, whose primary purpose is the rendering of advice, counseling or assistance to victims of sexual assault.
“Victim.” A person who consults a sexual assault counselor for the purpose of securing advice, counseling or assistance concerning a mental, physical or emotional condition caused or reasonably believed to be caused by a sexual assault. The term shall also include those persons who have a significant relationship with a victim of sexual assault and who seek advice, counseling or assistance from a sexual assault counselor concerning a mental, physical or emotional condition caused or reasonably believed to be caused by a sexual assault of a victim.
(b) Privilege. –
(1) No sexual assault counselor or an interpreter translating the communications between a sexual assault counselor and a victim may, without the written consent of the victim, disclose the victim’s confidential oral or written communications to the counselor not consent to be examined in any court or criminal proceeding.
(2) No co-participant who is present during counseling may disclose a victim’s confidential communication made during the neither counseling session nor consent to be examined in any civil or criminal proceeding without the written consent of the victim.