Anonymous Reporting to Child Abuse Hotlines

More than 40 of the 50 states allow anonymous calls to their child abuse hotlines. This opens the door for less-than-honest people to weaponize the child protection system against innocent families with whom they may have a beef—be it a contentious ex, a nosey neighbor, or a relative who simply thinks they know better than…

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ALEC: The Time Is Now to Halt Anonymous Child Abuse Reports

According to national figures, nearly 3.5 million children are the subject of a Child Protective Services (CPS) investigation each year. Only 17% of these investigations result in a finding of abuse or neglect.  In 83% of these cases, the investigation is closed as unfounded or unsubstantiated. Among anonymous reports to child abuse hotlines, that number…

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Time to Take Action in Your State

It is time to take action! As I reported last week, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) voted unanimously to adopt our model bill to end anonymous reports to child abuse hotlines, replacing them with confidential reports instead. That makes right now—and these next 2-3 months—the ideal time to reach out to your state lawmakers…

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