Many fears, concerns, and issues are raised when someone is faced with reporting a suspicion of abuse or violence in the life of a child. Common barriers to reporting are identified below, together with information presented in an effort to help overcome the barriers that can leave children in vulnerable situations (adapted from Huyer & Rimer, 2000[1]):
“What if I am wrong?”
Most people realize that if an investigation occurs as a result of a call to a child protection agency, a crisis will be created in the family. In reality, no one wants the end result of an investigation to be child abuse. Try and change your perspective and say to yourself, “I hope I am wrong. I hope it turns out to be something else and not child abuse, but I know that I have to make this phone call because I’m worried about the child.” Waiting for further evidence to be sure about your concerns could result in devastating consequences for the child and family. If you have a gut feeling that “something isn’t right,” listen to that and consult with a child protection agency.
“I have had past negative experiences with the child protection and/or police systems.”
Although these systems may not always be perfect (e.g., concerns about understanding or appreciating families from diverse cultural backgrounds), they are legally mandated for evaluating and responding to possible child abuse. One must be careful of relying only on past experiences without knowledge and appreciation for how the systems have improved over time. It is critical to follow through on legal requirements in order to protect children. Someone who does not do so puts themselves and their entire agency in a position of liability. Anyone who feels they would not call a child protection agency should not be working with children and families.
“I do not want the parent/caregiver to know that I was the one who made the call. Do I have to leave my name? Will the child protection worker tell the parent/caregiver who called?”
Many jurisdictions allow anonymous reporting, or protect the identity of the person who reports, although not all do. You may be afraid of possible retaliation from a parent or causing a scene at the agency. If you are a professional who works with children, the expectation is that you will leave your information. By doing so, authorities can contact you for more information and if the case proceeds to court, you may be a valuable witness who is called upon to testify. Furthermore, your program might be a safe place to interview the child. By not leaving your name and/or the name of your agency, a child may end up going home to a potentially unsafe environment. Overall, if you choose not to leave identifying information, you are not acting in the best interests of the child.
When making a report, the intake worker may or may not ask you how you feel about the family knowing it was you who called. If you would like to remain anonymous, make sure to request this when speaking to the worker. You may want to tell a parent yourself that you called, but be sure to discuss this with the worker before speaking with the parent. Even if you do not want your name revealed, a child protection worker has an obligation to tell the parent the nature of the allegation, and will usually identify the agency (e.g., someone from school called). It is not unusual for a parent to determine who made the report as the possibilities of who might have called may be limited (e.g., the child is typically at school, child care, or at home). If you are concerned that your safety may be at risk, discuss this with the worker and/or police. They may then tell the parent that “someone from the community called.”
“What do I do if a parent(s) confronts me about reporting?”
Individuals may be worried that a parent might retaliate in some way and/or come to the agency very upset and make a scene. Reinforce that it is your legal duty to call a child protection agency if you are worried about the safety or well-being of a child; try not to use trigger words like ‘abuse’. If you asked the worker if you could tell the family yourself about reporting and the answer was “no,” share this information with the parent reinforcing that you are expected to cooperate with the authorities. Revealing this also demonstrates the respect and consideration you have for your relationship with this person. If threatened or faced with an angry or violent person whereby you feel your safety or the safety of anyone at your agency is at risk, call for police assistance.
“I would feel guilty if the child was apprehended.”
A pervasive myth is that child protection workers apprehend children first and ask questions later. Children are only apprehended when there is no other safe option and the child is judged to be in imminent danger. Only a small minority of investigations result in apprehension and many of these children are returned to their families within a short period of time.
Across the country, every jurisdiction makes reference to operating in the best interests of children. Although fears and hesitations to reporting are valid, they do not outweigh the duty to protect children and the risk of harm to a child. Remember that the majority of cases when something terrible happens to a child, someone knew or suspected abuse, and did not follow through on reporting suspicions. If you are anxious, think about how the child may feel. As an adult, you have options and resources available to you whereas children have limited, if any, options for protection and must depend on others to speak for them. It is essential that everyone approach reporting decisions from the child’s perspective, remembering that if abuse is happening, it is unlikely to stop without outside intervention.
Adapted from: Module 5 of ‘Making a Difference: The Community Responds to Child Abuse’ Resource Manual by Pearl Rimer (2012)
[1] Huyer, D., & Rimer, P. (2000). Child protection in the new millennium. IMPrint, The Newsletter of Infant Mental Health Promotion (IMP) (SickKids), 46, 6-10.