This is a tough one (regarding child maltreatment)

[tantalizingfemme]

Originally Posted by softness

my daughter was in her first year of teaching kindergarten last year and she came to me one night and asked me if she should report something. I will tell you what I told her. Yours is not to determine if there is abuse or not going on. Yours is to call in suspicion of abuse. Just because you call in as a mandated reporter, doesnt mean the Childrens Services will report you are the one who called in the information. Especially in your circumstance where you are a neighbor, not a teacher of these children. Leave the investigative stuff up to the professionals in that arena. You arent calling in to be malicious. You are calling in because you have doubts about the welfare of the children.

Who knows, maybe they have a record of calls already into the CPS. Maybe they dont. Maybe the baby cries because its miserable in the smoking environment. Maybe because its hungry. Maybe because it has an infected diaper rash. So many maybes....none of which YOU need to worry about if its true or not. YOU need to just report it and let them investigate. If its
nothing, fine. Its nothing. If its something, then you saved a kid.

the only way you can get in trouble FOR calling in, is if you did it for malicious reasons. Obviously thats not the intent here.

Those maybes can potentially cause some serious damage.

There is no room for assumption or personal opinion or heresay when it comes to something as serious as calling CPS. Facts are facts are facts.

CPS isn't a game.... it is very serious.