Mandated reporters are mandated by the state in which they live to report any suspected abuse of a child. Mandated reporters can be different from state to state, but most of the time these professions are physicians and other health care professionals, teachers, social workers, childcare workers, and law enforcement. If one of these professionals sees, hears, or suspects abuse of any kind of a child, they are legally required to report the information they know or hear. In Wisconsin, anyone who receives a W2 from a school or district is considered a mandated reporter. "Under Wisconsin statute, if a mandated reporter has reasonable cause to suspect child maltreatment, they are required to immediately report" (DPI, 2024).

If a child is injured and the physician is uncertain of whether the injury could be considered abuse, he or she should not alert the police right away. However, if there are clear signs of abuse, or at any time during an appointment or an exam the health care professionals find out there is abuse of any kind, yes, report it. There needs to be questions asked as to how the injury happened. Physicians are usually good at their jobs and sure about what they are doing. So, if one is unsure, then they cannot say that the injury occurred from abuse. Obviously, if during the medical questioning any red flags arise, then yes, of course report the injury. "The current mandated reporting system has led to the over-surveillance of families experiencing poverty and families of color. This has contributed to distrust in the child welfare system and may add to families' reluctance to reach out for help when facing a lack of resources or difficulties (e.g., unemployment, housing instability) that are risk factors for child abuse and neglect" (CWIG, ). Bias plays a large part in these reporting's of abuse whether we want to hear that or not. Bias is everywhere. Twenty plus years ago, my older cousin and his wife took their oldest daughter, who at the time was just becoming a toddler, to the doctor for an appointment. The doctor noticed a scratch by her vagina and became suspicious. He was not able to say with certainty that she was abused, so her information was filed in this report where if she came in again with any other injury within a year that my cousin and his wife would be reported. They were shocked and left the doctor's feeling like they were looked at as these horrible people who hurt their children. They did not know how the scratch even got there. They were so careful and worried because kids do get hurt from a lot of different normal things, and sometimes they must be taken to the doctors for stuff that happens. "There are inherent problems with mandatory reporting. First, child abuse is not a medical diagnosis. It is a legal finding. Medical diagnoses include injuries and bruises, which can be the result of abuse or other causes. Child abuse pediatricians' training is focused on thelegal finding. These doctors often become sosuspicious of abuse that they ignore the many other possible explanations for injuries and bruises,including accidentsand certaindiseases. Accusations of medical neglect and abuse can interfere with parents' ability to seek multiple opinions on the causes of their children's complex medical problems" (Zimmerman, 2023).

There are policies, procedures, rules, and regulations in place for instances of suspected child abuse. "The fact that it is often difficult to decide whether to report suspected abuse does not negate one's professional and legal responsibility to protect children by doing so. Physicians are not responsible for determining whether maltreatment occurred, only for reporting reasonable suspicion. The reporting decision is complicated by ambiguous definitions that vary across disciplines and by cultural differences in acceptable parenting practices. Many factors play a role in a physician's likelihood of reporting, including the relationship with the family, details surrounding the injury, consultation with colleagues, and previous experience with CPS. Physicians may reduce their decisional burden and increase appropriate reporting by participating regularly in continuing education related to child maltreatment, familiarizing themselves with reporting laws and local CPS staff, and consulting with colleagues" (Shanely et al., 2009). I understand wanting to be safe rather than sorry, but with the huge increase of reports of abuse and the number of children being taken away from respectable, loving families for injuries sustained from other than them, I also understand why a physician would not alert police to an unsure incident of abuse.

• What consequences might a physician face if he or she reports suspected child abuse when there is none?
• What consequences might a physician face if he or she fails to report suspected child abuse when it is present?

Please be sure to validate your opinions and ideas with citations and references