A statewide study of the public's knowledge of child abuse reporting laws
Date
2016
Authors
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Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Journal of public child welfare
Abstract
Universal mandated reporting laws on child abuse require all individuals to inform CPS
agencies of suspected child abuse and neglect. Nineteen states currently have such laws,
yet it is not clear how much knowledge the public has about this policy. To help inform
directions for child abuse reporting policy reforms, we conducted telephone interviews
with a random sample of adults (N=509) about their knowledge of child abuse reporting
policies in a state with a universal reporting policy. The public’s understanding of child
abuse reporting policies was mixed. Only one in four respondents correctly answered at
least five of the six questions correctly, with 5% answering all six questions correctly. A
substantial minority (39%) were not aware they were required to report suspected
maltreatment, most (71%) were not aware that children are not automatically removed
from the home if there is maltreatment, and most (61%) were not aware that they could
be charged with a misdemeanor for failing to report a suspicion of child abuse. When
asked about barriers, respondents rated worries that reporting would not help the child
higher than discomfort intervening in another family’s activities. These findings imply a
need for improving impressions of child protective service agencies and countering
misperceptions about how they work with children and families. More research is needed
about what types of messages are effective and what impact they have on the ultimate
goal of increasing child safety
Description
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Article
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Keywords
mandatory reporting, law, child abuse, public awareness
Citation
Walsh, W. A., & Jones, L. M. (2016). A statewide study of the public's knowledge of child abuse reporting laws. Journal of public child welfare, 10(5), 561-579.