CHILD-ABUSE AND NEGLECT REPORTING LAWS - UNDERSTANDING INTERESTS, UNDERSTANDING POLICY

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.