Comparing reports of suspected child maltreatment in states with and without Universal Mandated Reporting

Krase, Kathryn; DeLong-Hamilton, Tobi A.

doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2015.01.015

Cited by 24 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…Our results showed that proportionately fewer CPA reports made under UMR laws are substantiated. These findings are consistent with prior studies (Krase & DeLong‐Hamilton, ; Palusci & Vandervort, ) and lend further evidence to questions about the utility of these blanket policies in promoting the identification and protection of children who are physically abused (Ho, Gross, & Bettencourt, ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Reporting and identifying child physical abuse: How well are we doing?

Bettencourt²,

Gross

2017

Research in Nursing & Health

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Entry into the child protection system in the US begins with a child maltreatment report. Some evidence suggests that report source and child age are related to report outcomes, but there has been no national study of these relationships. The purpose of this secondary data analysis was to describe the distribution of report sources for child physical abuse (CPA), and examine whether (a) the source of a report and (b) child age contribute to the likelihood of substantiation of the reported abuse. Multilevel logistic regressions were conducted using a US national sample of 204,414 children investigated for CPA in 2013 in a dataset obtained from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System. Results showed that fewer than one in seven children reported for CPA were confirmed victims of abuse. Professionally mandated reporters initiated the majority of CPA reports, and their reports were more likely to be substantiated compared with nonprofessionals. However, reports made by even the most accurate professional group (legal/law enforcement) had only a 26% chance of substantiation, and some professional groups had a lower likelihood of substantiation than nonprofessionals. Reports made by professionals were less likely to be substantiated as child age increased. More research is warranted to develop and test the effectiveness of training programs to improve CPA reporting and identification.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Reporting and identifying child physical abuse: How well are we doing?

Bettencourt²,

Gross

2017

Research in Nursing & Health

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“…A universal mandate raises the question about whether every state resident needs to be trained to understand the state definition of child maltreatment and what it means to be a mandated reporter. Because all residents do not receive specific training to recognize child maltreatment as legally defined in their state, there is concern that a universal mandate produces more reports to be investigated, but not greater child safety (Ho et al, 2017; Krase & DeLong-Hamilton, 2015). By contrast, nearly 65% of states, including Washington, DC (n = 33) list specific professionals who are mandated to report suspected child maltreatment or face a penalty.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The federal government does not regulate how states organize their child protection systems (CPS) or which persons must be mandatory reporters. Thirty-two states plus Washington, D.C. list specific professionals, including nurses, as legally mandated child abuse reporters, while 18 states use universal mandated reporting (Krase & DeLong-Hamilton, 2015). Universal mandated reporting laws require all adults to report a suspicion of child maltreatment.…”

Section: State Child Protection Legislationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Universal mandated reporting laws require all adults to report a suspicion of child maltreatment. The intent of the universal reporting mandate is to increase the chances that a case of child abuse or neglect will be reported; however comparison of reports between states with and without a universal mandate found a small increase in the number of reports but no significant difference in the proportion of substantiated cases (Krase & DeLong-Hamilton, 2015). Federal child welfare law also does not require specific actions by states to ensure that mandatory reporters within the state are knowledgeable about the indicators of child abuse and neglect and the parameters of their obligations.…”

Section: State Child Protection Legislationmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

How do States Inform Nurses of Their Policies for Mandatory Reporting of Child Maltreatment?

Mudrick

Blackwell

Watts

et al. 2022

Policy, Politics, & Nursing Practice

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Every state includes nurses as mandated reporters of suspected child maltreatment, and each state has its own law and policy regarding what is reportable and reporting requirements. These differences mean that generic training on child abuse and reporting needs to be augmented by practical state-specific information. In nearly every study of nurses, participants report having inadequate child abuse training. This paper presents an analysis of the information states post on their websites to educate nurses to appropriately identify and report suspected child abuse or neglect. Specifically, this study aims to answer the following questions: (1) how do mandated reporting laws that apply to nurses vary by state, (2) what information do states provide on their child protection and Board of Nursing websites about child maltreatment and mandatory reporting, and (3) what training resources do states make available on their websites to educate nurse mandatory reporters to ably fulfill their obligation? Data on state-by-state practices regarding mandated reporting of child abuse were gathered from the Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network (RAINN) database, review of state statutes, Child Welfare Information Gateway, Board of Nursing sites, and the Nursing Licensure Compact (NLC) website. This analysis found that states provide little guidance or education about their child maltreatment laws, and few have resources targeted for nurses. Given rising membership in the NLC it is critical for nurses to have education about state specific mandated reporting requirements. States should consider adding mandatory reporting training as a requirement for licensure and for continuing education.

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“…Over the past decade, as a result of several high-profile failures to report child maltreatment, researchers and policy-makers began examining mandatory reporting laws to determine if there were gaps that led to under-reporting and clear failures to report (Krase and DeLong-Hamilton 2015). One strategy that was widely applied both in the United States and other countries involved the expansion of reporting statutes to the general population.…”

Section: Universal Mandated Reportingmentioning

confidence: 99%