Mandated Reporting of Suspected Child Abuse: Ethics, Law, & Policy

Human services professionals in the United States - including psychologists, social workers and teachers - are required by law to report known or suspected child maltreatment. This book provides a review of research findings, ethical issues and current policies, including examples of cases. This second edition offers expanded guidelines and recommendations. Data on the implications of reporting or not reporting are given life in an expanded "case book within a book" that summarizes lessons learned and shows how problems posed by the law can be avoided. New sections also review issues in the mandatory reporting of abuse on other vulnerable populations, such as individuals who are elderly and developmentally disabled. There is also an additional chapter on therapeutic jurisprudence, which explores the therapeutic potential of mandatory reporting laws.