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

Abstract

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.

Associations between nurse characteristics, institutional characteristics and perceived nurse knowledge and self‐efficacy of reporting suspected child abuse and neglect

“…Within each US institution that employs nurses, leadership must provide a culture of safety and a collaboration for nurses to discuss CAN suspicion, as well as the workplace having a strong, transparent pathway for community resource referrals to care for children, youth, parents and caregivers. This means including education on the CANmandated reporter role specific to their employer and state policies and regulations (Mudrick et al, 2022) DHHS, 2023]) can be more difficult for nurses to assess for. In addition, nurses must understand the role of the CAN-mandated reporter is not merely to report; rather, the mandated reporter must understand strategies to prevent CAN, approaches to reducing the impact and future risk of CAN and recognition of personal biases and stigma as healthcare providers.…”

“…Gateway, 2019b). In the United States, across all areas of practice, nurses are legally mandated reporters of CAN (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2019b) and each state has their own laws in what is reportable as CAN, how to report and penalties for not reporting CAN (Mudrick et al, 2022) The Social-Ecological Model (SEM) posits that an individual is influenced by their environment (Bronfenbrenner, 1977). There are four levels to SEM-individual, family, community and institutional/ system/organization.…”

“…Among all 50 states in the United States (including the District of Columbia), federal law states that healthcare providers are required to report suspected or known CAN (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2019b). In the United States, across all areas of practice, nurses are legally mandated reporters of CAN (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2019b) and each state has their own laws in what is reportable as CAN, how to report and penalties for not reporting CAN (Mudrick et al., 2022). As the largest healthcare professional segment of the US workforce (US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2022), nurses are the foundation of the healthcare system.…”

An E-Learning Program for Continuing Midwifery Education on Handling High-Risk Abuse Cases: A Pretest–Posttest Design

“…At the same time, there is little education or guidance related to abuse prevention targeted for perinatal nurses [ 12 ], and Japan is no exception. Japan’s current basic nursing and midwifery education does not include curricula for addressing abuse.…”

“…This lack of educational opportunities [ 12 , 13 ] may have affected nurses’ awareness of the primary prevention of abuse. Despite the many opportunities to interact with pregnant women in obstetric care, awareness of primary abuse prevention is low, and only a few facilities in Japan are systematically working to prevent abuse in the medical field [ 15 ].…”