Am I a mandated reporter of child abuse?
All University employees (including all faculty, staff, and student employees) regardless of their position or assignment, are required by law (under the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act (ANCRA), 325 ILCS 5/1 et seq.) and by University policy (https://www.northwestern.edu/report/safety/child-abuse-neglect.html) to report suspected cases of child abuse or neglect. University policy requires all students, volunteers, and third-party contractors engaged in research activities to report suspected cases of child abuse or neglect.
University employees are not mandated reporters in Illinois of elderly abuse, neglect, or exploitation. However, it is possible that during the conduct of research, you will encounter a circumstance in which an elderly participant in your research reports abuse, neglect, or exploitation. One of the founding ethical principles of human participant research is beneficence, protecting them from harm, and making efforts to secure their well-being. While no University policy requires reporting, you may decide it is your ethical duty to make a report in good faith to the Illinois Department of Aging. By law, anyone making an elder abuse report in good faith has civil and criminal immunity from liability and professional disciplinary action.