The Social Policy Institute is thrilled to share this celebratory announcement from the Mandated Reporting to Community Supporting (MRCS) Task Force:
On September 4, 2024, the voting members of the California Child Welfare Council (CWC) unanimously approved the MRCS Task Force Report, and also requested that an implementation strategy to advance the Recommendations of the Task Force be created in partnership with the California Health & Human Services (CalHHS) Agency and the California Department of Social Services (CDSS).
The Task Force was originally approved in the March 2023 PEI Committee Community Pathway Recommendations. In August 2023, a diverse Task Force, composed of individuals with proximity to mandated reporting and a commitment to individuals with lived expertise, was established to review and recommend reforms to California’s mandated reporting system. The goal is to keep families together, safe, well, and strengthened by the resources they need to thrive.
The milestone vote at the September CWC meeting means the MRCS Task Force has successfully fulfilled its original mandate. This exciting next step on the path to implementing the Task Force Recommendations will establish the Mandated Reporting Advisory Committee (MRAC) in accordance with Recommendation #1. In doing so, we will of course honor the original values that created a diverse and dynamic Task Force with proximity to mandated reporting and a deep commitment to lived experience and expertise.
The urgency behind the work remains high as over 400,000 children in California are reported to Child Protective Services (CPS) each year, yet nearly 90% of those allegations are not substantiated as abuse or neglect by CPS. Instead, these allegations are part of a system that unnecessarily over-surveils and over-reports children and families—especially in Black/African American and Native American communities. As a result, we are causing harm to children and families rather than investing in the community resources that would support them to safely stay together where they live and will thrive.
We invite you to read the Task Force Report and Recommendations to learn more. This level of transformative change demands a coalition of committed individuals—like you—working in their communities and organizations to create a paradigm shift from harming children and families with over-reporting, to supporting children and families with community resources and services.
A special thank you to the CalHHS and CDSS for their bold leadership and partnership, and to Casey Family Programs and Safe & Sound for inspiring, championing, and funding the work of the MRCS Task Force.
Join us as we move forward in partnership to implement the Task Force Recommendations and create a Child, Family, and Community Well-Being System.
