Mandated reporters shoulder a somber responsibility to protect the most vulnerable of our citizens. For mandated reporters in the United States, keeping track of existing legal requirements, upcoming legislation, and training requirements is a difficult task. The National Association of Mandated Reporters is on a mission to make this easier by providing mandated reporters with a centralized hub for information, education, and a supportive community.
What is the National Association of Mandated Reporters?
The National Association of Mandated Reporters, or NAMR, is a non-profit organization developed with the mission of supporting mandated reporters in the United States so they can more effectively perform their duties as persons with a legal responsibility to report suspected or known abuse.
The purpose of the NAMR website—namr.org—is to be a centralized hub for all mandated reporters to collect, curate, and share information pertaining to abuse reporting and prevention.
The National Association of Mandated Reporters organization has set forth the following goals:
Unifying All Mandated Reporters
Mandated reporters are typically classified and trained based on the types of abuse they are required to report, including:
- Child abuse
- Elder abuse
- Intimate partner abuse (also known as domestic violence)
One goal for NAMR is to unify all mandated reporters under one organization and to provide one central location for resources for mandated reporters, regardless of abuse type.
Rather than sending childcare workers to a child abuse-specific resource and medical workers to a different resource for intimate partner abuse, NAMR seeks to provide centralized resources and help reporters realize that we are all mandated reporters.
Connecting through Community
The responsibility of a mandated reporter can feel heavy, and for some, even burdensome. What if you’re not doing it right? The stakes are high and lives hang in the balance.
No one understands that better than other mandated reporters.
NAMR wants to help mandated reporters connect with experts on this subject matter and other mandated reporters, so we can all share, learn from, and support one another in our roles.
Advocate for Underrepresented Victims
Some victim groups are represented more than others when it comes to abuse recognition, reporting, and prevention. It is a goal of NAMR to advocate for all persons who are vulnerable to abuse, regardless of age, race, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, or other factors.
Track Federal and Local Legislation
In addition to federal legislation pertaining to mandated reporting and abuse prevention, each state has its own existing laws and requirements. More legislation is passed each year and existing laws can be amended.
It’s a lot to keep track of.
NAMR wants to make it easier for mandated reporters to stay abreast of current and upcoming legislation pertaining to:
- Protecting vulnerable groups
- Identifying suspected abuse
- Training mandated reporters
- Making reports
- Preventing abuse
- And more
We Are All Mandated Reporters
Mandated reporters have a legal obligation—and an even bigger opportunity—to protect the most vulnerable of our population. It’s a staggering responsibility. NAMR believes that together we can create a community of passionate advocates, a central hub for education and information, and ultimately, do a better job of protecting all persons from abuse.
Join us by becoming a member. We are all mandated reporters; we are NAMR.