Cm. Brooks et al., CHILD-ABUSE AND NEGLECT REPORTING LAWS - UNDERSTANDING INTERESTS, UNDERSTANDING POLICY, Behavioral sciences & the law, 12(1), 1994, pp. 49-64
This article focuses on the interests of the persons involved in the c
hild abuse and neglect reporting process-(1) the child, the accused, a
nd the family members of the child and of the accused; (2) physicians,
psychologists, therapists, private agency and hospital social workers
, educators, and other professionals; (3) law enforcement officers, st
ate social service workers, lawyers, and judges; and (4) legislators.
With this focus, the article illuminates the rationales and explicit a
nd implicit policy choices reflected in the legislation's reporting re
quirements and processes. Such insight is necessary to a critical revi
ew of existing legislation and future improvements in the practical op
eration of reporting law legislation. This article demonstrates that t
he interaction of these interests is complex and often creates competi
ng concerns and goals. This article concludes that efforts should be m
ade to better harmonize these interests in future legislation.