An Examination of Teacher and School Staff Perspectives of the California Mandated Reporting System for Child Maltreatment

Background and Purpose: To identify and prevent child maltreatment, the United States (US) has federal legislation that requires states to have procedures in place for reporting and investigating cases of child maltreatment. All states have legal mandates that require certain professionals to report suspected child maltreatment, with legal consequences for failing to report their suspicions. Though teachers and school staff make many of these mandated reports, limited research has detailed the ways these individuals make meaning of their reporting experience. The present study takes a collaborative approach to interrogating this question and examines the perspectives of teachers and school staff who have made a mandated report in California due to suspicions of child abuse or neglect. This study seeks to answer the following research questions: (1) What are the experiences of kindergarten through 12^th grade teachers and school staff who have made a mandated report due to suspected child maltreatment?; (2) How do teachers and school staff view their roles as mandated reporters?; and (3) How does the mandated reporting system support students and families?

Methods: Participants were recruited using purposive and snowball sampling. Qualitative interviews with teachers and school staff (n=14) took place over Zoom video call. The interviewer followed a semi-structured interview guide, and based on a constructivist epistemological perspective, questions were intentionally broad to allow participants to interpret and describe their perceptions of the mandated reporting experience and their views on their role as mandated reporters. Interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded using inductive thematic analysis.

Results: Data analysis resulted in the generation of two main themes: (1) Viewing role as necessary to protect students; and (2) Inadequacies in the current mandated reporting system. In theme 1, participants described how they are uniquely situated to identify child maltreatment, and they desire a way to initiate processes to protect students. In theme 2, participants detailed inadequacies in the current system. These included concerns such as not seeing reporting to be effective in protecting children, never learning about the outcomes of their report, and the punitive nature of reporting leading to the alienation of students and families.

Conclusions and Implications: Findings highlight the tensions that teachers and school staff who make mandated reports hold. While teachers and school staff desire a clear pathway to protect students who experience maltreatment, they are confronted with uncertainty as to whether the current system is the best means to support students and families. Furthermore, the punitive nature of reporting on families can cause feelings of betrayal that lead to students and families no longer opening up to teachers and school staff for support. Findings highlight the current experiences of those navigating the mandated reporting system and can inform policy decisions for the US mandated reporting system.