Strategies to Maintain the Relationship

Following the decision to report or not report child maltreatment, many mandatory reporters are concerned with maintaining the relationship with the family, and this concern is examined more extensively in this chapter. This chapter describes typical client feelings and reactions to a report of suspected child abuse and neglect as well as the potential impacts on the relationship. A comprehensive overview of strategies to maintain the relationship is covered, including engagement strategies, reporting strategies, information strategies, affect regulation strategies (for mandatory reporter and client), advocacy strategies, resource strategies, and strategies that take culture and ethnicity into account. At the conclusion of this chapter is a conceptual model outlining the reporting decision-making factors and the strategies to maintain the relationship.