Action 6: Report Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect

Early childhood programs are responsible for making sure every child is safe. Programs that promote a culture of safety make sure all staff, contractors, and volunteers understand they are mandated reporters. They are responsible the health and safety of the children in their care and must report suspected cases of child abuse and neglect.

Being a mandated reporter means that you are legally obligated to report any suspected or observed instances of child abuse or neglect to the appropriate child protection agency in your jurisdiction. This includes incidents that occur when a child is in the care of your program, as well as suspected abuse or neglect by a family member.

Child abuse includes physical, sexual, psychological, and emotional abuse. Neglect can occur when the child’s caregiver does not meet the child’s basic needs, and includes physical, medical, educational, and emotional neglect.

Report Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect

Download the video [MP4, 233MB]

Action 6. Report Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect.

Narrator: Unlike the other Actions that focus on preventing an unintentional injury, reporting suspected child abuse and neglect is an action related to the intentional injury of a child. Child abuse and neglect is also known as child maltreatment. Children under age 5 are more likely to experience maltreatment than any other age group.

Children younger than age 1 and children with disabilities are more at risk. Programs that promote a culture of safety make sure all staff in an early childhood program understand they are responsible for ensuring the health and safety of the children in their care. Being a mandated reporter means that you are legally obligated to report any suspected or observed instances of child abuse or neglect to the appropriate child protection agency in your jurisdiction.

This includes abuse or neglect that occurs when a child is in the care of your program, as well as abuse or neglect by their parent or guardian. Your job is to report that a child is or may be at risk. The child protection agency is responsible for investigating and determining if a child has experienced abuse or neglect.

Child abuse may include physical, sexual, psychological, or emotional abuse. Child neglect is the most common form of child maltreatment. It occurs when a child's basic needs are not being met. It is important to recognize that poverty is not the same thing as neglect, and connecting families with economic resources and concrete supports may address these needs.

Caring for young children can be stressful, particularly for families who may experience challenges such as social isolation, unemployment, housing instability, and mental health or substance use disorders. One important way to support families is by recognizing their strengths and helping them use these strengths to address the challenges they face.

You can also provide families with referrals to community resources that support their efforts to achieve economic mobility and build connections to other local supports, helping families find more effective ways to parent, even when stressed. A culture of safety also includes strategies to help staff manage stress.

Reflective supervision, with a supervisor who is not responsible for evaluating your performance, can provide an opportunity to talk openly about the strong feelings that young children can evoke. It can help staff learn how to shift their perspective and explore other ways to manage these feelings.

You can also use mindfulness activities, yoga, or other self-care techniques to help you manage stress. If you suspect that someone may have intentionally injured a child, then reporting your suspicion promptly can protect the child from further harm. In a culture of safety, we all have a responsibility to ensure that every child is safe from maltreatment.

Implementation Tips

Develop policies and procedures for identifying and reporting suspected child abuse and neglect that align with state, territorial, or Tribal licensing requirements. Your program policies should include information about mandatory reporting requirements. These policies describe the role of mandated reporters and the procedures to follow when someone in your program identifies and reports suspected child abuse and neglect by a family member or an adult working or volunteering in the program.
Train staff in the policies and procedures for reporting suspected child abuse and neglect. Ensure that all staff receive training on your program’s policies and procedures for mandated reporters during their orientation and required professional development. All staff need to understand their role as mandated reporters because they are often the first to notice possible signs of child abuse and neglect. Your training should address the impact that filing a report may have on the child, family, staff, and program. Work with your community partners and the HMHSAC to identify available training resources.
Address concerns about mandated reporting. Mandated reporters often have questions and concerns about filing a report. It is important to remember that your program’s responsibility is merely to inform child protective services if you suspect a child has experienced abuse and neglect. An investigator from the child protection agency will make the final determination. Supervisors can help staff understand that this legal requirement is a way to protect a child from an unsafe environment. Providing reflective supervision offers an opportunity to discuss concerns while enforcing the need to file a report.
Promote staff wellness. Adult wellness plays an important role in keeping children safe. Many factors influence the quality of adult interactions with the children in their care. Caregivers who are having trouble managing their stress may find it harder to provide loving, responsive care. Reflective supervision can provide staff with an opportunity to talk about the strong feelings that young children can evoke. This can help staff explore other ways to manage these feelings. Programs can work with their mental health consultant to learn ways to use mindfulness activities, yoga, or other self-care techniques to help manage stress.
Follow up on all child abuse and neglect reports with child protective agencies to ensure they have all the information they need. Identification and reporting are only the first steps. Following up with the professionals who investigate child abuse and neglect cases ensures that your program has done everything possible to protect a child from harm.
Recognize families’ strengths. Support families to use their strengths to address the challenges they face. Caring for young children can be stressful, particularly for families who may experience challenges like social isolation, unemployment, housing instability, and mental health concerns or substance use disorders. Connect families with concrete support and resources, such as the Family Economic Mobility Toolkit, to address their needs. It is important to recognize that poverty is not the same thing as neglect.
Provide families with referrals to community resources that support their efforts to achieve economic mobility and build connections to other local supports. These protective factors can act as a buffer, helping families find more effective ways to parent, even when stressed.