Talk:Mandatory reporting in the United States

Page creation
This page was created as a fork from Mandatory reporting, a page which was/ is substantially US centric in its content. Creation of a separate page here will allow the useful content from that page to remain within wikipedia, while allowing that page to be made more universal in its contents.WotherspoonSmith (talk) 09:33, 14 August 2015 (UTC)

Cleaning Up
In an effort to clean up the appearance of the page the title was moved to use proper spelling and not incorrect abbreviations. Since this was just about the United States the irrelevant information was removed.Rmn116 (talk) 17:13, 24 August 2015 (UTC)

Criticism section/s
I have reinserted the line "Critics state that" or similar, to clarify that some sections of this article are giving one critical side of a debate, not undisputed facts. In one case (section entitled "Consequences/effects of investigations on children and their families as a result of mandatory reporting") the entire section is a list of things that might happen or sometimes happen- removal of this statement lead to the appearance that it was always the consequence or effect of investigations. Please discuss here and reach a consensus before removal, as it has appeared and disappeared here a couple of times. See Consensus WotherspoonSmith (talk) 13:35, 4 September 2015 (UTC)

Mandated professions
I have restored the following statements from the "Mandated Professions" section. States frequently amend their laws, but as of November 2013 all States, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have statutes identifying persons who are required to report suspected child maltreatment to an appropriate agency.[17]

''Approximately 48 States, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands designate professions whose members are mandated by law to report child maltreatment.

''(list of mandated professions appears here)

''As of November 2013, 18 States and Puerto Rico, any person who suspects child abuse or neglect is required to report suspected abuse or neglect regardless of profession. In all other States, territories, and the District of Columbia, any person is permitted to report. These voluntary reporters of abuse are often referred to as “permissive reporters.”[17]''

These were deemed "off topic" by this edit. I believe they are entirely relevant. Without these statements the section is merely a vague list of professions that, in some states only, are sometimes required to report. This seems entirely "on topic" to me. Please discuss here and gain consensus before removing again. WotherspoonSmith (talk) 13:48, 4 September 2015 (UTC)

Additional info in "criteria" section restored
I have restored the following: ''Typically, reporters are encouraged to report their suspicions and not to investigate or wait for absolute proof, which can lead to further harm directed at the suspected victim, and allow for perpetrators to prepare their defence through intimidation. The investigation of the abuse is then left to professionals. ''Some jurisdictions allow clear protections for reports made in good faith, protecting the disclosure of the reporter's name.

This feels to me entirely fitting, as readers of this page would typically want an understanding of the general nature of reports. It is an important piece of information for anyone wanting to know about mandatory reporting. It does not feel like a "general statement appearing to give legal advice which is not appropriate for Wikipedia articles" as stated in the edit summary at. It is immediately followed by the statement "Innocence should be presumed unless and until evidence establishing guilt is obtained and it must be remembered that only suspicions are being reported" which is similarly appropriate "legal advice", as is the rest of this section. WotherspoonSmith (talk) 14:04, 4 September 2015 (UTC)

External links modified
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