A Framework for Mandated Reporting for Substance-Related Parental Abuse and Neglect

Course overview

Course Description: Clinicians who treat patients with substance use disorder (SUD) frequently face difficult decisions about their mandated reporting obligations when a patients substance use raises concerns about child safety. This course provides a review of the legal landscape governing mandated reporting for postnatal parental substance use across all 51 U.S. jurisdictions, drawing on Dernbach and Appels 2025 survey of statutes, regulations, and child protective services guidelines. The course examines areas of legal obligation, areas open to clinical interpretation, and the many circumstances that current statutes fail to address. A practical clinical decision-making framework is presented to guide clinicians through the complex ethical, legal, and clinical cost-benefit analysis required when determining whether to make a report to child protective services (CPS). Psychologists, social workers, mental health counselors, drug and alcohol counselors, marriage and family therapists, and other licensed or certified behavioral health professionals can benefit from this course. This course is appropriate for intermediate and advanced-level practitioners who require continuing education for license renewal. These materials are presented for continuing education purposes. They do not constitute clinical or legal advice. Clinicians should consult applicable state statutes, professional ethics codes, and legal counsel as needed when making mandated reporting decisions.*** Authors: Dernbach, M. R., & Appel, J. M. Learning Objectives: This course will provide professionals with detailed information about mandated reporting for substance-related parental abuse and neglect and a clinical framework for making CPS reporting decisions. Specifically, after completing this course the practitioner will: 1. Identify the legal standards that govern mandated reporting for postnatal parental substance use, including the reasonable suspicion standard. 2. Describe the clinical, ethical, and child welfare outcomes associated with CPS reporting, including the risks and benefits of reporting for both the child and the parent with SUD. 3. Apply the clinical decision-making framework proposed by Dernbach and Appel to determine whether a CPS report is required, potentially required, or not required in a given clinical scenario. Citation: Dernbach, M. R., & Appel, J. M. (2025). A framework for mandated reporting for substance-related parental abuse and neglect. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, 53(4), 377-391. https://doi.org/10.29158/JAAPL.250059-25