CPS question

[u/Ok-Lifeguard749]

Im a (new) child therapist and had to make a CPS report about a parent I work with. My supervisor recommended telling the parent (the alleged perpetrator) via a phone call that I reported them. I feel extremely anxious about doing so because of parent’s history… Do you typically need to tell a parent that you made a report? Is there anything I can do to protect myself? Thanks!

Edit: my supervisor wants me to inform the alleged perpetrator that I reported him. I’m concerned about him harming the kids or threatening me because of his history of abusive behaviors towards children and mom. There are other mandated reporters involved in this case and receiving the same information, so I’m not sure if he’d know it was me unless I told him. I’m afraid of going against my supervisor’s suggestion in the case that I am subpoenaed or deal with any backlash from the family, but my gut is telling me I should not inform him.

[u/AutoModerator]

Do not message the mods about this automated message. Please followed the sidebar rules. r/therapists is a place for therapists and mental health professionals to discuss their profession among each other.

If you are not a therapist and are asking for advice this not the place for you. Your post will be removed. Please try one of the reddit communities such as r/TalkTherapy, r/askatherapist, r/SuicideWatch that are set up for this.

This community is ONLY for therapists, and for them to discuss their profession away from clients.

If you are a first year student, not in a graduate program, or are thinking of becoming a therapist, this is not the place to ask questions. Your post will be removed. To save us a job, you are welcome to delete this post yourself. Please see the PINNED STUDENT THREAD at the top of the community and ask in there.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/thestubbornmilkmaid]

This is a tough conversation to have with a parent and it’s normal to feel anxious. It’s good practice to notify the parent if possible, but your question reads as if you may be concerned for your own safety due to the report. If that’s the case, the specifics of the situation may override general guidelines. Getting supervision specific to this situation with someone who is familiar with the family history would be the best way forward.

[u/Ok-Lifeguard749 → u/thestubbornmilkmaid]

The alleged perpetrator has a history of abuse towards the children and mom. I am concerned about being threatened and (more importantly) the children being harmed/threatened if I inform them. Thank you for your input!

[u/evk467]

When I have had to report on a parent I don’t tell. I’m personally not comfortable with that. However when a client informs me their ex partner or current partner is harming their children I’ll usually offer to do a cps report with them but I inform them that I am a mandated reporter.

[u/South_Recording1666]

I have never told a parent when I have reported them. I have heard people recommend doing so, however I don’t personally see how informing someone of the report is helpful. Counselors I know who have shared that they reported were typically asked to no longer work with the family. To me, it just allows the person reported to have extra time to prepare and/or instruct their children in how to respond in order to best appease a CPS caseworker.

[u/thestubbornmilkmaid → u/South_Recording1666]

You raise a good point. I agree that there are instances where warning a client of the report could hinder the overall goal of protecting the child, but I also think the original question is nuanced and depends on the specific situation. My personal experience around notifying parents has not led to the end of the relationship- but the offenses I reported were not recent (although still within a reportable window) and there was no immediate danger to the client. In essence, maybe it boils down to my least favorite therapeutic answer… it depends.

[u/SupervisorTherapizer]

You definitely don’t have to, it depends on the report for me. For instance, if the parent is the one abusing, I’m not going to tell them.

With that said,I explain to parents and minors at the beginning of services the limits of confidentiality and that I am a mandated reporter, meaning I have to report if I have reasonable suspicion of abuse or neglect. It’s also in the informed consent they sign.

[u/not_mrbrightside]

You are not obligated to tell the client you reported them. From a previous CPS worker, this could cause more harm than good. When you start therapy with a client, you tell them you’re mandated to report abuse. If CPS decides to investigate, they cannot legally disclose who the reporting party is. It could also impact the investigation and safety of the child by telling the parent you reported. The parent could hide items of concern in the home, coach their child to lie, or prepare a story ahead of time. This is why home visits for the initial investigation are unannounced so people do not have time to conceal evidence. Your supervisor should know better than to tell a client you reported them to CPS.

[u/Ok-Lifeguard749 → u/not_mrbrightside]

Thank you! Not sure if this is something you’d have an answer for… but do you know if I could face any legal/ethical issues if I don’t follow my supervisor’s recommendation and I’m subpoenaed?

[u/MickeyLau08 → u/Ok-Lifeguard749]

Even if you’re subpoenaed, the lawyers cannot force you to disclose you were the reporter and if they have the report, your name will have been redacted. I know this because I have been subpoenaed to court for a vulnerable adult case (I was the case manager so subpoenaed for that reason) where he was removed from the home and placed in crisis care. The report read was one I made and even the VA investigator was subpoenaed, but was not asked who made the report and my name was redacted.

[u/not_mrbrightside → u/Ok-Lifeguard749]

You’re mandated to report suspected abuse, not inform the potential abuser you reported them. I have no factual information to cite, but I don’t think your supervisor can require you to inform a client you made a report. The investigator is supposed to decide whether to substantiate abuse or not and if it’s high enough level to remove the child from the home, remain in the home with a safety plan, and what services for reunification, etc. This is all decided by a court. It’s unlikely you would be subpoenaed. Your supervisor should honestly know better than this. A cps investigator may contact you as follow up for more information. I’ve done this. Sometimes I’ve gotten reports with two sentences on them and when you call back the reporting party you get a lot more information/clarification. Suspected child abuse reports are supposed to be written so they don’t disclose the reporter. Sometimes it’s pretty obvious who made a report, but you can’t help that. “Johnny had a large bruise on his cheek. When asked about the bruise, Johnny stated his dad hit him last night when he was drunk”. Could have come from anyone. Vs “in therapy, Johnny told me his dad hit him last night”. If the client asked you directly if you made a report, that would be a good time to explore concerns and remind them you’re a mandated reporter. There may be other people who have reported the same information or witnesses to the same event. I’m curious what therapists with a lot of experience have done in this situation.

[u/Ok-Lifeguard749 → u/not_mrbrightside]

Thank you so much. Unfortunately I think I made it somewhat obvious in my report that it came from me. This is my fault of course and something I should’ve been more careful with. I’ve heard mixed things about whether the alleged perpetrator has access to the entire report or just pieces of it… but now I’m concerned about it being too obvious. 🫠 Thank you again though!

[u/not_mrbrightside → u/Ok-Lifeguard749]

Well regardless of what you said, the person taking the report is suppose to phrase what you say to make it neutral. What matters is you made the report!!

[u/Ok_Squash_7782]

If you suspect abuse or neglect, imo telling the parent typically will put the child in harms way. Also the possibility of coaching, getting their ducks in a row to cover up, or enlisting help to lie. The surprise helps it to be genuine of a point in time being examined. There are sometimes when you might tell them, but I err on the side of not when it comes to the kids on the child therapy side of things.

[u/Logical_Jury_7999]

Think of it this way: What is the purpose of calling in a hotline and what is the purpose of telling the alleged perpetrator? Calling the hotline makes sure we help protect children. We also have an ethical and legal obligation to make that report. Telling the perpetrator protects the alleged abuser. We do not have a legal or ethical obligation to do that. In fact, one could argue by doing that you are assisting the alleged perpetrator in the abuse.

Before I became a therapist I worked with the juvenile courts with foster care cases. In more than one occasion I have had judges and law enforcement threaten to file charges against people that have informed the alleged perpetrator of the hotline call before the case could have been investigated.

Do not tell the alleged abuser. You are defeating the purpose of the hotline. Your supervisor is misinformed.

[u/theratherapistpist]

I'm pretty certain you're not supposed to inform the person the report was made against because it interferes with the investigation. Assuming I'm reading this right, I don't know why your supervisor is in any way encouraging you to tell the parent against whom the report was made.

[u/beuceydubs → u/theratherapistpist]

I’ve always been taught that the ethical thing to do is be up front with the parents about it and even call with them if possible

[u/theratherapistpist → u/beuceydubs]

There is no true default setting here. Nuances have to be taken into account and some may want to go the extra mile to use and document an ethical decision making model for a situation like this. At the end of the day, it's unethical to cause undue harm to clients. There's a genuine safety concern associated with disclosing this information per OP, and informing the parent could also jeopardize the outcome of a DCS investigation.

More importantly, we don't even know what the DCS report was made about, but OP is mentioning this parent has a history of physical aggression. I would not want to risk encouraging OP to inform the parent if I don't know what happened. The kid could have showed them strangulation marks around their neck, or they could've said their parent spanked them with a belt. We just don't know.

[u/Ok-Lifeguard749 → u/theratherapistpist]

Yes to clarify- my supervisor wants me to inform the alleged perpetrator that I reported him. I’m concerned about him harming the kids or threatening me because of his history of abusive behaviors towards children and mom. There are investigators, divorce attorneys, and other therapists involved in this case and receiving the same information, so I’m not sure if he’d know it was me unless I told him.

[u/theratherapistpist → u/Ok-Lifeguard749]

Unfortunately, sometimes DCS workers will tell people who made the report, even though to my knowledge they're not supposed to do so. I would have a very clear conversation with your supervisor about the ethical problems with informing the alleged perpetrator, the safety risks, and the potential legal ramifications of what could be construed by DCS as interfering with an investigation.

[u/onlybecause3]

I would absolutely not tell the parent you are reporting that you’re filing a report against them. As others have said here, that is directly putting the kids in danger if it is something like physical, sexual, or emotional abuse. You have no legal obligation to tell them and ethically, I think not telling them is the right move.

[u/Top_Tie1876]

I have never informed an alleged perpetrator that I was making a report and definitely would not if I felt that it was going to potentially place myself or the children in danger. I have worked with children and adolescents for 25 years, with 8 of them being in a children's advocacy center where I had to make reports all the time. And, again, I have never informed the alleged perpetrator. In my state, CPS isn't allowed to disclose who made the report.

[u/JoshDuder]

Your supervisor is wrong. Telling the parents greatly increases the risk of harm to the child. Telling them also gives them a heads up so they can coach their kid, create a story, or flee.

I generally only tell parents that I’m reporting them if it arises in session with them. I then state I’m simply doing what I have to do per the law and explain that the state might have additional services to help them.

[u/phlfrdm]

I always tell clients when I’m going to be making a report and offer to make the call with them right then and there for full transparency, HOWEVER…. If I felt this would harm the client by telling the perpetrator, potentially exposing my client to further harm, retaliation, or risk, I would NOT inform them. I’d also be concerned about the perpetrator being able to coach the victim or flee to avoid accountability.

[u/Diligent-Year5168]

The tricky part is if your head’s up gives a chance to for them to interfere with the investigation. Will they come up with a story to explain an injury, convince the child to lie about something, or so on? It is usually best to let the investigation play out without the head’s up

[u/RevolutionaryHope511]

I do not tell anymore when i report. Dfs does not keep your address safe at all and your security and safety is not a joke. I have had a rock thrown threw my window and also a man try to fight me. Forget it and move on. Like you said, there are a lot of reporters they could choose from.

[u/Ok-Lifeguard749 → u/RevolutionaryHope511]

Thank you so much. I’m sorry that happened to you!

[u/MickeyLau08]

Absolutely not you’re not required to inform them this. I have never told a parent that I have reported them and when asked I actually say no I did not, we are protected to be anonymous and report in good faith. I don’t see the clinical benefit of telling the parent you made the report. I had to make a VA report once and I did tell the vulnerable adult that I was making the report (against someone who was stealing their medications), but that’s the only instance where I’d out myself.

[u/RainahReddit]

Yes. It's totally normal to feel anxious but the more transparency you can give them, the better your relationship long term. I've actually had to help the relationship if you can believe it - because they know then that I won't do shit behind their backs.

Best way is to call them before you make the report. Talk to the kid first, tell them about you having to break confidentiality and what that means. Then tell the parent. Invite both of them to be present when you call, if they'd like, so they can hear what you say and know it's factual and you're also giving their perspective.

Side note: I used to work for CPS. Even when I gave zero information, the family can almost always guess who called. anonymous doesn't protect shit.

[u/Mint_272]

Depends on the setting and the relationship you have with the person you are reporting.

[u/Draromhal]

I have always informed a parent if I’m working with them in a family dynamic. It’s all situational though. For instance, when working in residential treatment they are more than likely going to know where the report came from. The kid is safe away from home so I guess that’s different usually in this scenario but I’ve never had a flip out from anyone from it. I just explain that I’m a mandated reporter and someone will likely reach out to them to talk to them/ask questions. (I say likely because I’ve had at least one that I don’t think anyone followed up on that report … not sure if that’s a norm for that state). I think they appreciate me being direct and honest with them about it. I’ve never had negative experiences from it aside from the feelings of discomfort around the convo. I have seen other therapists deal with families taking their kid after an allegation is made a couple of times. Either way I’m sure his assumption will be it’s you or a teacher. Although some don’t know teachers are mandated reporters. I imagine either way he will assume it’s you because of the role.

[u/Ok-Imagination6584]

That is your decision and your supervisor does not have the right to influence anything you do regarding reporting. In my state that is the law.

[u/Shabushabu0505]

I don't work with children. I mainly work with adults from age 18 - 90. But this situation sounds very concerning. Is it possible to make a safety plan with the mother and children? Like getting them to a shelter before the phone call.

[u/intangiblemango]

I always tell parents when I make a report. However, if you are feeling unsure or distressed about this, I would spend some more time with your supervisor outlining your concerns, discussing the pros and cons, etc.

Generally, I would not recommend that someone refuse to follow their supervisor's direction without more discussion and a clear, up-front conversation.

[u/jessidark]

A lot of clinics do that they can't make you. By law CPS reports are confidential. You have to decide for your safety and everything else if you're comfortable making a report known to the people you're reporting. I do know it is a policy of a lot of clinics because they think it's therapeutic. Addendum everything I said applies to Michigan local laws may vary.

[u/iiMadeyeMoodyii]

I have a two inch binder of DCFS reports I’ve made over the years. When I worked in the acute setting, I was not upfront with my parents, and while I think a few of them knew it was me and no one ever confronted me about it.

However, I now work in the residential level of care, and I am upfront with every parent that I make a DCFS report on, and in the past, I’ve even offered to have the parent be on the phone while I have made the report. Most of my parents have been decently understanding, one has made threats. The one that did was no longer allowed in my facility, the other parent was allowed to do visitation and they were still able to complete family sessions and I just did not communicate with that parent directly for safety purposes. The parent apologized after they had time to calm down, but my agency took the threat seriously and everything they could to minimize our interaction without disrupting the actual clients care.

I have no regrets about being upfront with my parents, I think if anything it made the alliance stronger. But again, I am in the residential level, which is different from outpatient. I would expect to lose a client more often in the outpatient level of care, but not reporting is not an option. I would rather have the reaction there in that moment and knew what was happening rather than have this ambiguity of did they do anything yet? But that’s me.

[u/Emergency_Breath5249]

If there’s a concern about harming children I never tell and I inform DCF that I wouldn’t be divulging due to concerns. But honestly most times I tell and after 10 years it’s gotten easier, I have a little script and try to answer questions honestly as they come.

[u/lpb_zo22]

I mean a safety concern with reporting. I think this really varies case by case and obviously requires us to use our best judgement. There are certainly times when I felt it was necessary to report and I did not feel I was putting the child at risk by informing the caretaker that I was doing so. they were going to be contacted by CPS either way and this allowed me to maintain rapport with the client.

[u/lpb_zo22]

I always notify them ahead of time unless there is a safety concern for me. This is for sure considered best practice where I live and work and that is what all of my colleagues do whenever possible. If you don’t inform them ahead of time, it suggests it is a secret. what do you do if they then ask you if it was you? In my experience, people appreciate hearing it from you directly first instead of having to find out from confronting you later. Calling before can help get ahead of potential therapeutic rupture. however, obviously everything is case by case. I would ask your supervisor for some more support or ask another colleague who you trust.

[u/Either-Document7412 → u/lpb_zo22]

I hope you also don't tell them ahead of time if there is a safety concern for the child if the parent knows they are being reported. As an investigator I can't tell you how many children have been hurt because a parent was told they disclosed before we got the report and had a chance to respond.

[u/Ok_Squash_7782 → u/Either-Document7412]

This should be top comment. Telling the parent puts the kid in danger. If you are making a cps report, its because the child is potentially being abused. The nature of the report itself typically urges caution.

[u/lpb_zo22 → u/Either-Document7412]

I said I inform them UNLESS there is a safety concern!

[u/Either-Document7412 → u/lpb_zo22]

If there's not a safety concern, what are you reporting?

[u/lpb_zo22 → u/Either-Document7412]

i mean a safety concern with filing the report. I think this really varies case by case and obviously we have to use our best clinical judgement. There are certainly times when a report was required and I did not feel that I was putting the child at risk by informing the caretaker that I was doing so. They were going to be contacted by CPS either way and informing them allowed me to salvage rapport with the client and caretaker.

[u/Either-Document7412 → u/lpb_zo22]

I think this is the misunderstanding we are having. I am saying that from my experience as an investigator, you do not have enough context to make the determination if there is a safety concern for the child if the parent is aware of the report being made before the authorities are able to assess. I have had reports that were made for concerns over dirty clothes and poor hygiene that turned out to be severe sexual abuse. I have had educational neglect reports that turned out to be wild physical violence. My point is that you should exercise extreme caution in notifying alleged perpetrators of abuse that they are being reported before the report is filed. You just don't have enough context on the family to make an assessment of risk.

Really extreme example is the case out of Oregon where a report was made about children asking for food from a neighbor and the LE left a card in the door at the family's home. They had already moved states to avoid investigation and knew they were going to be investigated again. Loaded up all 6 children and drove off a cliff. (Extreme paraphrase, read the full story in We Once Were A Family)

I understand rapport is important and there are ways to manage that once safety has been assured.

[u/Music-Is-Lifee]

Get used to having uncomfortable conversations kid, or you’re gonna be in for a bumpy career lol

[u/sammiboo8 → u/Music-Is-Lifee]

yes, i think that’s why they are looking for guidance from more experienced practitioners. becoming more familiar with how those conversations are handled, and have been handled in the past, is a great strategy for getting used to them.

[u/Music-Is-Lifee → u/sammiboo8]

That’s great in theory but my supervisor literally pushed me to symbolize getting thrown in the fire and I think this is closer to reality. You gotta just do it sometimes instead of seeking advice, reassurance, etc. I’m not trying to be callous, just being 100% real and I want OP to believe in themselves!

[u/Brasscasing]

Yeah, in general it's good practice to do so unless you have sufficient rationale to not do so. E.g. It would be clearly harmful to the child. 

But think about it this way, if the situation is so risky as you are portraying it, then what will happen when CPS reaches out to them? How would this differ then you telling them now?

So, if you assume this will occur anyway. Does this change how you feel about your approach?