In Florida, we adults are all “mandated reporters.” What that means is that if you suspect that a child has been abused by any person, you are legally required to report that to the Florida Abuse Hotline. As a reporter, you are entitled to confidentiality: DCF is not allowed to tell the alleged perpetrator who reported them.
That said, we have been shocked at people’s willingness to involve DCF in minor, speculative concerns that have more to do with the reporter’s goals than the wellbeing of the child.
Users of various parent, divorce, and child welfare online forums regularly post: “I don’t like someone (a co-parent, relative, or neighbor) who is raising a child I care about and think I could do a better job. Should I involve DCF?” Invariably, netizens respond that this is great idea, with no downsides.
But we urge caution. We have seen people’s efforts to marshall the power of the state for their own purposes backfire. Government agencies do not care about you, and they don’t care about children. There are many nice employees of those agencies that care, of course, and sometimes they can be really helpful. But the system does not care and it is the system–not any individual–that will determine the fate of a child involved with DCF. Keep in mind that involving the system in a private family dispute can lead to highly unpredictable outcomes for everyone involved, investigations are traumatic for children, and there may be criminal liability for knowlingly false reports of abuse.
There are often better options to resolve family disputes. Here are a few that we have helped clients with:
