When The System Fails

What to Know: Citing a case in which a family with a special-needs child was unfairly targeted by a Child Protective Services team, a family advocate writing in The Atlantic contends that medical professionals shouldn’t be forced to be CPS investigators.

“Michelle’s story wouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone who works in pediatric health care, either,” writes Diane Redleaf. “In keeping with a federal law that first passed in 1974, doctors and many other health-care professionals are required to report reasonably suspected child abuse to a state-designated authority… The CPS system needs some sensible checks to protect the innocent. ‘When in doubt, call the hotline’ inevitably leads to unnecessary stress for wrongly accused families.”

The TPPF Take: There is a role for medical professionals in child abuse investigations, but there must be safeguards.

“New medical research, along with a string of recent acquittals and conviction reversals, have raised questions about the reliability of the diagnoses provided by child abuse pediatric teams,” says TPPF’s Andrew Brown. “Child abuse cases are among the most complex and emotionally charged matters handled by the judicial system. The cost of getting it wrong is incredibly high. We need policies in place to ensure that families are protected.”

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