Maryland Fire/EMS Chaplain Rules for 

Confidentiality and Mandated Reporting Basics

1) Clergy-penitent confidentiality (evidence rule)

  • Maryland recognizes a clergy privilege: a minister/clergyperson “may not be compelled to testify” about a confession or confidential spiritual communication. This protects penitential/spiritual communications from disclosure in court. Justia Law

 

2) Child-abuse/neglect reporting (Family Law)

Who is a mandated reporter?

  • Maryland’s mandated reporters are: health practitioners, police officers, educators, and human-service workers (acting in a professional capacity). Clergy are not listed by default. Maryland General Assembly

“Any person” duty (includes clergy when not privileged):

  • Separately, Maryland requires any person to report suspected child abuse/neglect to the local department or law enforcement. But there’s an explicit exception for communications covered by attorney-client and clergy-penitent privilege—i.e., you are not required to report if doing so would reveal a protected spiritual/confessional communication. Maryland General Assembly Maryland CourtsChild Welfare Information Gateway

Timing/form for mandated reporters:

  • For those who are mandated reporters (e.g., if a chaplain is also a licensed health practitioner or employed as a human-service worker), oral report immediately and written follow-up within 48 hours; agencies cross-notify. (The 48-hour clock is in §5-704 for mandated reporters.) Maryland Department of Human Services

 

3) Vulnerable-adult/elder abuse (Adult Protective Services)

 

 

4) Fire/EMS peer-support confidentiality (specific to your setting)

  • Maryland created a statutory confidentiality for peer-support programs in fire/rescue/EMS (Public Safety §7-404). A peer-support specialist (and the participant) may not disclose communications from a peer-support interaction except when the communication contains:
    1. an explicit suicide threat (disclosure needed to prevent attempt),
    2. an explicit threat of imminent serious harm/death to an identified person,
    3. information about child or vulnerable-adult abuse/neglect (or anything otherwise required by lawto be reported), or
    4. an admission of criminal conduct;
      …or if all parties authorize disclosure, or a court orders it. Written notice of these limits must be given before the first session. (2022 HB 581; clarified in 2023 SB 527.) Maryland General Assembly+1

What this means for a fire/EMS chaplain

  • Spiritual/confessional role: Communications seeking spiritual advice/absolution are protected; you are not compelled to testify, and Maryland’s “any person” report duty does not force you to disclose thatprivileged content. Justia Law Maryland General Assembly
  • Peer-support role (on/for the department): Covered by §7-404 confidentiality, but you must break confidentiality in the statute’s listed exceptions (e.g., explicit suicide threat, specific violent threat, child/vulnerable-adult abuse/neglect, admission of a crime), or if required by court order. Provide written notice up front. Maryland General Assembly
  • If you wear another hat (e.g., licensed clinician or human-service worker): You may become a mandated reporter under §5-704 and must follow those procedures, regardless of clergy status, for information you obtained in that professional capacity (non-privileged). Maryland General Assembly

Primary sources & practical summaries


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