ABSTRACT
This book is designed to help mandated reporters fulfill that role. To that end, this chapter describes what it means to be a mandated reporter. The chapter begins with a brief history of mandated reporting and the impact that the mandated reporting laws have had on the rates of reporting for child maltreatment. The chapter then covers who is required to report and who is a permissive reporter. The next section of the text covers when and how to report along with consequences for the failure to report suspected maltreatment. The next topics addressed are education about mandated reporting and how confidentiality laws interact with reporting laws. The chapter ends with a brief discussion of whether or not the mandated reporting laws are an effective tool for decreasing child maltreatment.
