Mandated Reporting Policies and the Accurate Detection of Child Maltreatment

Background and Purpose. The majority of child abuse and neglect reports in the United States are made by mandated reporters who are required, by law, to report suspected child maltreatment. In response to high-profile cases of maltreatment, the definition of mandated reporters has broadened in many states from select professionals to include all adults. These changes are often made with the presumption that having more mandated reporters will result in more people making reports, therefore fewer cases of maltreatment will go undetected. However, little is known about the effectiveness of different mandated reporter definitions and related policy characteristics such as training, penalties, and the ability to report anonymously.

Methods. The current study utilizes the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) and the State Child Abuse and Neglect (SCAN) Policies Database to examine the relationship between aspects of state-level mandated reporting policies and reported incidences of child maltreatment. Bivariate statistics were conducted to assess the relationship between each mandated reporting policy characteristics (definition of mandated reporters, training requirements, penalties for not reporting, and ability to report anonymously) and rate of child maltreatment reports and rate of substantiations. Next, several regression models were conducted examining each policy characteristic (IV) and the relationship with child maltreatment referrals (DV) and substantiations (DV2), controlling for several factors including child race/ethnicity, child age, previous maltreatment, report source, and maltreatment type.

Results. States with universal mandated reporting have higher rates of child maltreatment referrals and substantiation. In states where those making a report of maltreatment can remain anonymous there are higher rates of referrals and substantiation. In states where training for mandated reporters is required there are higher rates of referrals and substantiation. In states with reporter penalties that apply to all or some mandated reporters (compared to all adults regardless of if mandated reporters) can be penalized for not reporting, there are higher rates of referrals and substantiation.

Conclusion and Implications. Components of mandated reporting policies vary across the country and each mandated reporter policy can have a different association with the accurate detection of child maltreatment. The current study aims to better understand the different policy characteristics needed to accurately detect child maltreatment without overburdening child welfare systems and over-surveilling families. Having better knowledge of the policy characteristics contributing to the accurate detection of child maltreatment allows social workers to advocate for policies that protect children while preventing unnecessary involvement with the child welfare system. The current study found that universal mandated reporting policies, the ability to remain anonymous when reporting, report penalties for mandated reporters, and training requirements are all associated with higher rates of referral and substantiation.