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States find a downside to mandatory reporting laws meant to protect children
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2024/04/25/1247021109/states-find-a-downside-to-mandatory-reporting-laws-meant-to-protect-childrenStates find a downside to mandatory reporting laws meant to protect children
APRIL 25, 2024 7:00 AM ET
FROM KFF Health News
By Kristin Jones
More than 60 years ago, policymakers in Colorado embraced the idea that early intervention could prevent child abuse and save lives. The state's requirement that certain professionals tell officials when they suspect a child has been abused or neglected was among the first mandatory reporting laws in the nation.
Since then, mandatory reporting laws have expanded nationally to include more types of maltreatment — including neglect, which now accounts for most reports — and have increased the number of professions required to report. In some states, all adults are required to report what they suspect may be abuse or neglect.
But now there are efforts in Colorado and other states – including New York and California — to roll back these laws, saying the result has been too many unfounded reports, and that they disproportionately harm families that are poor, Black, or Indigenous, or have members with disabilities.
"There's a long, depressing history based on the approach that our primary response to a struggling family is reporting," says Mical Raz, a physician and historian at the University of Rochester in New York. "There's now a wealth of evidence that demonstrates that more reporting is not associated with better outcomes for children."
[...]
APRIL 25, 2024 7:00 AM ET
FROM KFF Health News
By Kristin Jones
More than 60 years ago, policymakers in Colorado embraced the idea that early intervention could prevent child abuse and save lives. The state's requirement that certain professionals tell officials when they suspect a child has been abused or neglected was among the first mandatory reporting laws in the nation.
Since then, mandatory reporting laws have expanded nationally to include more types of maltreatment — including neglect, which now accounts for most reports — and have increased the number of professions required to report. In some states, all adults are required to report what they suspect may be abuse or neglect.
But now there are efforts in Colorado and other states – including New York and California — to roll back these laws, saying the result has been too many unfounded reports, and that they disproportionately harm families that are poor, Black, or Indigenous, or have members with disabilities.
"There's a long, depressing history based on the approach that our primary response to a struggling family is reporting," says Mical Raz, a physician and historian at the University of Rochester in New York. "There's now a wealth of evidence that demonstrates that more reporting is not associated with better outcomes for children."
[...]
