Beyond Mandated Reporting: Debunking Assumptions to Support Children and Families

Abstract

This paper critically examines mandated reporting laws for child maltreatment within the profession of social work. It analyzes the history and current use of mandated reporting laws in the United States and debunks three assumptions that uphold the practice of mandated reporting: that mandated reporting is accurate in identifying child maltreatment; that mandated reporting is, at worst, a neutral practice; and that mandated reporting ultimately helps to prevent and/or treat harm to children. In the final section, the author presents guidelines for social workers to implement abolitionist reforms to mandated reporting. The author argues that, in tandem with growing calls to abolish the family policing system and reimagine child welfare, social workers should grapple with the implications of mandated reporting laws on families and the profession of social work and seek to reduce the harms of mandated reporting wherever possible.

The stark implications of abolishing child welfare: An alternative path towards support and safety

“…In response, advocates for abolishing CWS argue that 'state and federal mandatory reporting laws must be repealed' and replaced with community-based responses 'to end the surveillance of families' (Dettlaff et al, 2021, p. 13). Calls to shift responsibility to the community are based on the presumption that reports to CWS always (1) disrupt families (Roberts, 2022); (2) hamper working relationships between parents and providers, contributing to mistrust across systems (Schwab-Reese et al, 2023); (3) subject children and families to unwarranted and harmful state surveillance (Fong, 2020;Gruber, 2023); and (4) indicate racially motivated implicit or explicit animus, given the larger numbers of black children reported (Roberts, 2022). Dettlaff and colleagues assert that 'racism is so deeply rooted in child welfare systems' history, policies, and practices that they cannot simply be modified or revised.…”