South Australian Consolidated Acts South Australian Consolidated Acts11—Notification of abuse or neglect
(1) If—
(a) a
person to whom this section applies suspects on reasonable grounds that a
child has been or is being abused or neglected; and
(b) the
suspicion is formed in the course of the person's work (whether paid or
voluntary) or of carrying out official duties,
the person must notify the Department of that suspicion as soon as practicable
after he or she forms the suspicion.
Maximum penalty: $10 000.
(2) This section
applies to the following persons:
(a) a
medical practitioner;
(ab) a
pharmacist;
(b) a
registered or enrolled nurse;
(c) a
dentist;
(d) a
psychologist;
(e) a
police officer;
(f) a
community corrections officer (an officer or employee of an administrative
unit of the Public Service whose duties include the supervision of young or
adult offenders in the community);
(g) a
social worker;
(ga) a
minister of religion;
(gb) a
person who is an employee of, or volunteer in, an organisation formed for
religious or spiritual purposes;
(h) a
teacher in an educational institution (including a kindergarten);
(i)
an approved family day care provider;
(j) any
other person who is an employee of, or volunteer in, a Government department,
agency or instrumentality, or a local government or non-government
organisation, that provides health, welfare, education, sporting or
recreational, child care or residential services wholly or partly for
children, being a person who—
(i)
is engaged in the actual delivery of those services to
children; or
(ii)
holds a management position in the relevant organisation
the duties of which include direct responsibility for, or direct supervision
of, the provision of those services to children.
(3) A notification
under this section must be accompanied by a statement of the observations,
information and opinions on which the suspicion is based.
(4) This section does
not require a priest or other minister of religion to divulge information
communicated in the course of a confession made in accordance with the rules
and usages of the relevant religion.
(5) A person does not
necessarily exhaust his or her duty of care to a child by giving a
notification under this section.