NCJ Number
120352
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 13 Issue: 4 Dated: (1989) Pages: 515-522
Date Published
1989
Length
8 pages
Annotation
Though every State has laws requiring the report of suspected child abuse and neglect, failure to report remains a significant problem.
Abstract
Review of previous research on failure to report suggests that the reporters' anxieties about disrupting their relationship with the child's family as well as the reporters' gender, experience, and training affect willingness to report. Countertransference fear, guilt, shame, and sympathy are discussed as a basis for understanding the reporter's anxieties. Countertransference issues should be addressed in the training and ongoing practice of mandated reporters by teaching professionals about how countertransference reactions may arise during the reporting process, identifying a community child abuse expert for consultation, and educating child protection workers about psychodynamics aspects of case management. 22 references. (Author abstract modified)