Proposal would route child abuse reports through Montana emergency dispatchers

Required reporters would report suspected child abuse or neglect to the state health department or a 9-1-1 dispatcher during a transition, then use 9-1-1. The routes would cover suspected child abuse or neglect by anyone. Any person could report a reasonable suspicion. Required reporters include health professionals, school staff, and child-care workers who learn of suspected abuse through their work. Certain confidential religious communications would be exempt from clergy reporting duties. Reports involving abuse by a care institution or agency would still have to reach the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. The proposal set October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2030, for the two reporting routes. Its 9-1-1 reporting requirement would start October 1, 2030.

Emergency dispatchers would assess reports and immediately send recordings and related information to the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services. Dispatchers would decide how urgently reports need a response. Child protection specialists would conduct required investigations and checks of children's safety. Dispatchers would tell phone callers that the report is being recorded and their identity will be kept confidential. If a voluntary reporter refuses to give a name or phone number, dispatchers would ask about serious risk and decide whether the call is an emergency. The state health department would set practical transfer rules that account for 9-1-1 data formats and minimize the burden on dispatchers. The proposal set October 1, 2025, for dispatcher intake duties. From October 1, 2030, dispatchers would handle the initial assessment instead of sharing that role with the state health department.

The Montana public safety officer standards and training council would require child abuse and neglect training for dispatcher certification applicants. Training would cover reporting rules, the roles of police and state health investigators, and ways to respond during a crisis. People holding permanent dispatcher appointments as of July 1, 2001, would be exempt from these certification training requirements. The proposal set October 1, 2025, as the training provision's effective date.