Description of the Need
Description of the Need
Child abuse remains widespread, yet the national reporting process continues to operate inefficiently and inconsistently. In 2022, approximately 558,899 U.S. children were confirmed victims of abuse or neglect—about 8 out of every 1,000 children.¹ Child protection agencies received 4.4 million reports involving 7.9 million children.² Despite these staggering numbers, serious reporting gaps and system inefficiencies persist, leaving many children unsafe.
Key challenges in the current system include:
Underreporting and Delays
Many cases of abuse go unreported or are reported too late. Studies indicate that 39 percent of adults in states with universal mandatory reporting laws were unaware of their legal obligation to report suspected maltreatment.³ Fear and misinformation also discourage action—over half of respondents in one national survey believed that reporting “would not help” the child.³
Incomplete and Subjective Reports
When reports are made, they are often incomplete or overly subjective. Professionals such as teachers and healthcare workers frequently omit critical details, such as timeframes, observations, or contextual information. Reports may rely on opinion rather than fact, forcing investigators to spend valuable time clarifying information that could have been documented properly from the start. These patterns mirror findings from the Child Safety Fund’s fieldwork as an abuse and neglect intake specialist, which processed over 1,700 child abuse reports between 2019 and 2021. In these cases, incomplete or biased reporting frequently delayed investigations and complicated child safety determinations.⁴
Overwhelmed Systems
Major abuse cases often trigger surges in hotline activity, overwhelming child protection agencies with low-quality or unfounded reports. Following Pennsylvania’s expansion of mandatory reporting laws, for example, its hotline received more than 1 million reports in five years, yet 90 percent of investigations were dismissed as unfounded.⁵ This volume strained frontline caseworkers and delayed responses to children genuinely at risk.⁵
Training Gaps and Deficiencies
Although every state mandates reporter training, no national curriculum standard ensures consistent, evidence-based education. Studies show wide variation in both the content and quality of existing programs. Many state-sponsored trainings omit key information such as clear definitions, observable indicators of maltreatment, and specific response steps. Few address the common psychological and procedural barriers reporters face, including fear of retaliation, personal bias, and uncertainty about outcomes.⁶ Even among trained professionals, knowledge and confidence remain inconsistent. In one multi-state study, fewer than half of mandated reporters accurately identified all reportable forms of maltreatment.⁷ Surveys across education, healthcare, and social service sectors reveal ongoing confusion about what constitutes abuse, when to report, and how to document concerns effectively.⁸⁻¹⁰ Research further shows that mandated reporters’ knowledge and confidence deteriorate over time without structured reinforcement.⁸⁻¹⁰ Variability in state laws further compounds this problem, reinforcing the need for standardized, recurring instruction.¹⁰
Evidence of Training Gaps
Two comprehensive national studies form the empirical foundation of CSF’s framework:
The American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC) Alert (2021), which analyzed 44 state-sponsored curricula, and
The Penn State University iLookOut Comparative Study (Somerville et al., 2023), which reviewed 47 state trainings.
Together, these analyses document widespread inconsistencies in mandated reporter training spanning content, pedagogy, and evaluation methods—and demonstrate that while advanced, evidence-based multimedia instruction (e.g., iLookOut) is feasible, no national mechanism exists to scale such training equitably.¹¹⁻¹²
Findings from the APSAC Review
The APSAC review revealed that only 25 percent of curricula included all essential elements, definitions, indicators, and examples for each maltreatment type. Fewer than 10 percent explained why mandated reporting is critical to child protection, and only 9 percent recognized maltreatment as both a trauma and an Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE). Instruction on responding to disclosures was similarly weak: most trainings offered limited guidance, and fewer than one-third warned against common errors such as making promises or oversharing information.
Emotional and procedural barriers were rarely addressed, and legal guidance was inconsistent. While all trainings identified who qualifies as a mandated reporter, fewer than one-third explained criminal or professional penalties for noncompliance. Design quality was also poor, few used interactive or trauma-informed methods aligned with adult learning principles. (See Appendix X: APSAC Data-at-a-Glance.)
Findings from the iLookOut Study
The iLookOut comparative study found no uniform standards for curriculum design or delivery. Two-thirds of trainings offered only basic, low-interactivity instruction, and most lacked validated pre- and post-assessments. Content varied widely: although most referenced “red flag” indicators, few explained “reasonable suspicion” or connected maltreatment recognition to trauma and long-term outcomes. Only iLookOut met advanced criteria for engagement, incorporating simulation, micro-learning, and spaced-practice reinforcement. The authors called for national standards, rating systems, and funding for trauma-informed, evidence-based digital training. (See Appendix X: iLookOut Data-at-a-Glance.)
Implications
Collectively, these findings confirm that mandated reporter training nationwide is fragmented and insufficiently evidence-based. While iLookOut demonstrates the potential of multimedia, research-driven instruction, its limited reach underscores the absence of scalable, standardized mechanisms. Most programs fail to convey why reporting is essential to child protection, neglect trauma-informed principles, and lack validated assessment methods. These deficiencies reinforce the urgent need for a national, evidence-based framework that equips mandated reporters with the knowledge, confidence, and practical skills necessary to identify and respond to maltreatment with accuracy, empathy, and accountability.
Real-World Consequences
The consequences of these failures are severe. In 2022, nearly 2,000 children in the United States died from abuse or neglect.¹³ Investigations often reveal missed warning signs and delayed or incomplete reports. These failures carry not only human costs but also immense financial burdens across healthcare, law enforcement, and child welfare systems.¹⁴ Economic analyses estimate that child maltreatment costs the United States $80.3 billion annually (2012), $428 billion (2015), and $2.94 trillion in lifetime costs for 2018 cases alone.¹⁵⁻¹⁶
Alignment with OJJDP Priorities
The OJJDP FY25 solicitation calls for projects that “expand post-secondary educational opportunities for child protection professionals through evidence-based instruction, curricula design, and professional capacity-building” (OJJDP-2025-172457, Section A). The Child Safety Fund (CSF) seeks to meet this priority by creating a standardized, accessible, multimedia training framework that closes the gap between academic preparation and real-world mandated reporter performance.
References
National Children’s Alliance. (n.d.). National statistics on child abuse. https://www.nationalchildrensalliance.org/media-room/national-statistics-on-child-abuse/
Child Welfare Information Gateway. (2019). Child maltreatment 2019: Summary of key findings. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau. https://cod.pressbooks.pub/uip
National Children’s Alliance. (2021). New study finds many unaware of legal responsibility to report child abuse. https://www.nationalchildrensalliance.org/press_releases/new-study-finds-many-unaware-of-legal-responsibility-to-report-child-abuse/
Child Safety Fund. (2025). Experience. https://charity.childsafetyfund.org/mission/experience
ProPublica. (2019). Mandatory reporting strains systems, punishes poor families. https://www.propublica.org/article/mandatory-reporting-strains-systems-punishes-poor-families
Humphreys, K. L., Piersiak, H. A., Panlilio, C. C., Lehman, E. B., Verdiglione, N., Dore, S., & Levi, B. H. (2021). A randomized controlled trial of a child abuse mandated reporter training: Knowledge and attitudes. Child Abuse & Neglect, 117, 105033. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2021.105033
Kenny, M. C. (2019). Counselors’ mandated responsibility to report child maltreatment: A review of U.S. laws. Journal of Counseling & Development, 97(3), 299–308. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327581400
Delale-O’Connor, L. A., & McCarthy, M. D. (2019). Educational paraprofessionals’ knowledge about and barriers to reporting child abuse. Child & Youth Services Review, 100, 93–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.02.033
Bryant, C., & Porter, K. J. (2021). Training gaps in child maltreatment reporting: Confidence and competency among educational staff. Early Child Development and Care, 191(15), 2381–2395. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34725883/
Kim, S., & Mennen, F. E. (2022). Knowledge, attitudes, and perceived barriers to reporting child maltreatment among U.S. professionals. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 879245. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9301923/
American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC). (2021). State-sponsored mandated reporter training: An analysis of the curriculum. APSAC Alert, 12(3), 1–12. https://www.apsac.org
Somerville, D., Dore, S., Humphreys, K. L., Verdiglione, N., Zhou, S., Hamm, R., Fiene, R., Kapp, K., & Levi, B. H. (2023). Comparison of state online mandated reporter trainings. APSAC Advisor, 34(1), 20–39. https://www.apsacadvisor.org
National Children’s Alliance. (n.d.). National statistics on child abuse. https://www.nationalchildrensalliance.org/media-room/national-statistics-on-child-abuse/
Prevent Child Abuse America. (2021). Estimated annual cost of child abuse and neglect. https://preventchildabuse.org/resources/estimated-annual-cost-of-child-abuse-and-neglect/
Positive Childhood Alliance. (2021). Cost of child abuse and neglect. https://positivechildhoodalliancenc.org/resource-hub/cost-of-child-abuse-neglect/
Chapin Hall. (2024). Cost savings from investing in children and families. https://www.chapinhall.org/wp-content/uploads/Cost-Savings-from-Investing-in-Children-and-Families_Chapin-Hall_6.3.2024.pdf
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