Running head: MANDATORY REPORTING OF CHILD MALTREATMENT

Mandated Reporting

Mandated reporters can be classified as individuals who have contact with children as

part of their profession. These professions include, but are not limited to, teachers, social

workers, police officers, daycare or childcare workers, doctors, nurses, and counselors.

Mandated reporters are required by law to report any suspicion of child abuse or neglect to local

authorities by calling the Arkansas State Child Abuse Hotline. Unfortunately, most victims of

child maltreatment are never reported to officials.

Closing the Gap

Child abuse, and underreporting, is a serious social problem in which many of the

systems that are made to manage and protect children of abuse fail the victims greatly.

Descriptions of Mandated Reporters are listed under the Arkansas Child Maltreatment Act. The

purpose of this act is to “provide a system for the reporting of known or suspected child

maltreatment; ensure immediate screening, safety assessment, and prompt investigation; and to

protect a maltreated child” (Ark. Code Ann. § 12-18-102). Neglecting to report any suspected

child maltreatment may be punishable by law as also stated in the Arkansas Child Maltreatment

Act.

The policies regarding child abuse reporting and investigating require reformation.

Widespread education regarding definitions of child abuse and neglect, as well as, reforming

who constitutes as a mandated reported are necessary for reform. Widespread education will

provide consistent understanding of what child abuse and neglect may look like so that witnesses

cannot make excuses as to why the victim could be deserving of the crime. Reforming the
MANDATORY REPORTING OF CHILD MALTREATMENT Pruitt 2

definitions of mandated reporters by designating and integrating all citizens into this position

allows greater accountability of everyone to report acts of abuse and neglect.

Maltreatment is a Societal Problem

When abuse is suspected and reported by a mandated reporter, the Child Abuse Hotline

agent receiving the call rates it regarding their own vision of importance. If the agent doesn’t

receive enough information, the report may be unsubstantiated, meaning that no further action

will be taken. If the agent does accept the report, it is then passed on to the Child Welfare

Agency. The agency then rates the report by their perception of importance and determines the

time frame in which the report will be investigated. On occasion, this extensive process can

hinder damaging results causing the child to endure additional, avoidable abuse.

Consequences of child maltreatment are widespread. The physical consequences of child

maltreatment include abusive head trauma, impaired brain development, and poor physical

health. Psychological consequences of child maltreatment include poor mental and emotional

health, developmental and cognitive disabilities, and social difficulties such as personality

disorders and attachment issues. Behavioral consequences of child maltreatment include high

risk behaviors, such as substance abuse, truancy, pregnancy, and delinquency. In fact, “children

who have experienced abuse are nine times more likely to become involved in criminal activities

(Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2013, p.5). The Child Welfare Information Gateway

(2013) also reports that the lifetime cost of child maltreatment and related fatalities in 1-year

totals $124 billion dollars.

Maltreatment Risk Factors

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The Administration of Children, Youth, and Families reported that in 2015, 3.4 million

cases of child abuse were reported in the United States, and that for every report made 2 more go

unreported. A study on child abuse reporting from medical clinicians found that of the 1683

suspected cases of child abuse only 95, or six percent, of those cases were actually reported to

Child Protective Services (Eads, 2013).

A large study of over 5,500 children and families that were in the Child Welfare System

from 1999-2000 discovered that child maltreatment was most prevalent in familial dynamics that

consisted of minority status, single caregiver, poverty, domestic violence, caregiver substance

abuse, caregiver mental health problems, and/or low caregiver education (Barth et al., 2007).

Public Appeal

Child maltreatment is a widespread social problem that impacts every single person in

society. Turning a blind eye to the problem of child abuse does not make it go away, nor does it

lessen the extent of which it impacts all citizens. Child abuse and maltreatment will not just

simply disappear, but knowledge is power. Informing all members of society is the first step in

fighting the war against child abuse. Many witnesses do not report suspicious activity they

observe because they are unaware that what they are seeing is, in fact, abuse. This abuse has long

lasting effects on the child, the family, the community, and the nation. The second step is to

promote the change of mandated reporting in becoming more than job title obligations. Instead, a

mandated reporting should be a responsibility and a commitment of all humans in ensuring the

safety of all helpless children who are unable to protect themselves from harm.
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References

Arkansas Child Maltreatment Act, 12 Ark. Stat. Ann. § 18-101 et seq. (2010).

Barth, R. P., Scarborough, A., Lloyd, E. C., Losby, J., Casanueva, C., & Mann, T. (2007).

Developmental status and early intervention service needs of maltreated children.

Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the

Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation.

Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2013). Long-term consequences of child abuse and

neglect. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Children’s

Bureau.

Eads, K. (2013). Breaking Silence: Underreported child abuse in the healthcare setting. Online

Journal of Health Ethics, 9(1). Retrieved from http://dx.doi.org/10.18785/ojhe.0901.01

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children and Families,

Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Children’s Bureau. (2017). Child

Maltreatment 2015. Retrieved from http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/research-data-

technology/statistics-research/child-maltreatment.