According to the American Psychological Association Presidential Task Force on Violence and the Family, “Surveys of health care professionals, including mental health providers, indicate that professionals often fail to report identified child maltreatment, despite being trained to identify child abuse and neglect. Many professionals indicate that they do not believe others will follow through to provide the help needed by a family coping with violence.” (APA, 1996, p. 63)

For the purposes of this discussion, choose a state that you are interested in and respond to all of the following questions and at least 2 of your classmates’ posts.

Helpful web site:

• Child Welfare Information Gateway https://www.childwelfare.gov/topics/systemwide/laws-policies/state/

Name of State:

1. How is child abuse defined in the statute?
2. Who are the mandated reporters?
3. Is any group specified as “exempt”? If yes, please explain
4. What are the penalties for failing to report?
5. Are child witnesses to domestic violence addressed in the statute? If yes, please explain
6. Do you think there is ever a good reason for a professional to fail to report child abuse? (Please do not respond with: “there is no good reason” –  this question is designed to make you think beyond that obvious answer and delve into what real life, legitimate reasons might cause a professional to not report. Using “There is no good reason” will earn the poster a “0” for this portion of the assignment.) 

• Post your original discussion response by Saturday, 11:59 p.m. ET.
• Post replies in two other students’ threads by Tuesday, 11:59 p.m. ET.
• See the Syllabus under “Project Descriptions” for a detailed description of expectations for both original question posts and replies to others.