Erring Case Workers

Apparently a case worker can be severely sanctioned (suspended, fired or worse) for failing to report a suspected case of significant Child Abuse/neglect. Since the word 'significant is not clearly defined and varies accordingly with the involved individual, suspected cases may be considered, even if that case is just a hunch.

Not just them, there are a whole bunch of people we've come to associate with the term 'Mandatory Reporters' who are required to perform the same function. When you look at it that way, it is easier to understand where all the zeal to get involved and dispel 'righteous justice' on families comes from.

While Mandatory reporters are 'encouraged' to be proactive in sniffing out these cases, and by that I mean threatened and harassed under the guise of law - there are no significant laws that deter false alarms in covering these cases and protecting families from insignificant hunches and personal vendettas. You need not be a soothsayer to guess the trajectory of reported cases under these circumstances.

Imagine a case where a family is accused based on a whim. This family is then subject to all manner of unfair treatment in the name of investigation and has their child taken. Undeterred, the family fights back through every legal means available, finally managing to secure a decisive victory after the allegations were proven untrue or grossly exaggerated. What happens next? Who pays for the trauma? The best they can hope for at this time is monetary compensation which may never cover the psychological damage.

If more people were held responsible, it would encourage at least a decent observation before any action is taken.