A new survey for mandated reporters, child protection hotline staff, and helpline staff/volunteers has been announced.
New Survey of Mandated Reporters to Impact Policies & Practices
The Quality Improvement Center on Helplines and Hotlines conducts practical research to understand how professionals make critical decisions to keep children safe and help families succeed.
As part of this effort, the Center, in partnership with Evident Change, a non-profit that uses data and research to improve social systems, has launched national anonymous surveys. The survey results will help the Center make recommendations on policies and practices for better decision-making about families, and to develop new and improved pathways for families to get the help they need.
How to Take the Survey
Choose the survey that matches your role:
- Mandated reporters: required to report suspected child maltreatment as part of a professional or volunteer role. Take this survey.
- CPS hotline staff: working in any capacity at a child protection hotline. Take this survey.
- Helpline staff: working or volunteering at a community-based helpline as a front-line worker, supervisor, or non-leadership staff member. Take this survey.
- Helpline leadership: working or volunteering at a community-based helpline at the manager level or above. Take this survey.
These are some of the first national surveys asking mandated reporters and hotline staff to learn about how to keep children safe, target child protection resources effectively, and ensure all families can thrive.
By taking this survey, you can go beyond your role and responsibilities as a mandated reporter or hotline/ helpline staff or volunteer member to make a significant impact on the policies and practices that impact families.
Who Are Mandated Reporters?
Mandated reporters are the professionals who are required by law to report known or suspected child abuse and neglect. State laws often designate mandated reporters by profession, and this list commonly includes those who work with children, such as teachers and school staff, medical professionals, social workers, counselors and therapists, clergy, volunteers, and law enforcement officers.
Access this state-by-state database to find a list of mandated reporters.
The Center: Bridging the Gap Between Hotlines and Helplines
The Quality Improvement Center on Helplines and Hotlines (The Center) was established to provide practical, research-based solutions for child protection hotlines and community helplines, supporting all families in reaching their full potential.
Mandated reporters report to child protective service agencies when they have knowledge or reasonable suspicion of child abuse or neglect. However, many mandated reporters struggle with difficult decisions about whether their concerns involve actual child maltreatment or other factors, such as economic need, that could be addressed through community-based resources. Some may turn to child protection hotlines not to report abuse, but in an attempt to help provide resources for a family.
Child protection hotlines are not equipped to meet all the needs a family may have, and reports involving families needing resources can strain the agencies meant to keep children safe from danger, divert child protection agencies from their mission, and cause families stress.
Many communities are now trialing “helplines,” typically managed by community, faith-based, and nonprofit service providers, designed to connect families in need with prevention services. Helplines can free up child protection hotlines to focus on their important mandate of child safety and make a real difference for families with complex needs.
However, there are currently no nationally established best practices to help mandated reporters and CPS hotline staff determine which reports must be referred to CPS hotlines and what kinds of concerns are appropriate for helplines.
The Quality Improvement Center on Helplines and Hotlines is working to bridge this gap. By taking this survey as a mandated reporter or staff/volunteer at a hotline or helpline, you are helping provide data that can impact future policies and make a difference.
