National survey reveals widespread mandated reporting despite low perceived training utility among school social workers, highlighting complex decision thresholds.
This study presents results from a national survey of 455 school social workers (SSWers) that examines training, reporting practices, and factors influencing decisions to report to child protective services (CPS). The majority (88.3%) of participants received formal mandated reporter training but only 66.3% found the training useful. Younger SSWers reported more frequently to CPS, and SSWers in schools with higher percentages of white students reported less frequently. Over 40% of participants made reports on children they did not perceive to be in imminent danger. The challenges of SSWers’ relationships to mandated reporting is discussed.
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Sugrue et al. (2026) studied this question.
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