Reporting child abuse and maltreatment: The experiences of school social workers

The purpose of the current qualitative study was to explore the experiences of school social workers in two counties on Long Island, functioning in their mandated reporter role, looking specifically at any stress reactions they incurred as a result of mandated reporting. A sample of fifteen school social workers was drawn from the New York State School Social Workers Association and interviewed in-depth. School social workers reported several stressors associated with mandated reporting that resulted from the interface of the education and Child Protective Services systems, which were found to be operating in conflict with one another. These stressors included a perceived lack of respect from CPS, lack of communication from CPS with the mandated reporters, and frustration with case findings. Stressors inherent to the education system were working in multiple schools and playing the roles of trainer and consultant to colleagues. These stressors were further compounded by the exposure to the children's traumatic stories of abuse/maltreatment. School social workers reported a number of coping mechanisms they employed, some of which were available through the education and CPS systems; these included support from administration and colleagues, and relationship building with CPS. Some strategies were personal in nature such as use of relationships and use of humor. Despite reported stressors associated with mandated reporting and revised social services law, school social workers continue to be the primary reporters to Child Protective Services. Reasons for this include concern on the part of the school social worker that colleagues have a lack of training in child abuse identification and reporting procedures and a sincere passion for helping. Findings that suggested areas of future research were: (a) an exploration of the mandated reporter experiences of school social workers in others areas of the country; (b) an exploration of the daily practice of school social work to assess stress reactions not specifically related to mandated reporting; and (c) research regarding the experience of Child Protective Services with the schools in an effort to improve relationships between the two systems.