Trends in Child Abuse Reporting

Abstract

The United States relies on the Child Protective Service (CPS) system to protect children from abuse and neglect. The foundation of this system is reporting—reporting is supposed to bring maltreated children to the attention of CPS and CPS is supposed to appropriately respond to the report. This chapter examines trends in CPS reporting, the evidence that maltreated children are reported and receive CPS attention, and current issues affecting this system. Beginning with the history and current status of mandatory reporting laws, it describes the challenges involved in studying mandatory reporting and the limitations of the existing evidence. Subsequent sections summarize research on reports CPS receives and how CPS responds; on the maltreated children mandated reporters encounter, whether these children receive CPS investigation, and why they may not; and on the mandated reporters—who doesn’t report and why. The chapter then considers current issues and trends, including the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and of racial inequities on reporting and the use of data-driven approaches to understand reporting patterns and manage screening of referrals and responses to reports. The conclusion discusses the failures of mandated reporting and recent system reform efforts that may dramatically alter reporting trends in the future.