Low reporting standards and racism lead to many families being reported to CPS unjustly.

One in two Black children will be reported to CPS by age 18.

CPS investigations are often invasive and traumatic—even when they close without a finding.

Parents don't have to let CPS in without a court order, and have the right to request their medical records.

One in three children in the United States will be reported to child protective services (CPS) before they turn 18. For Black children, that number is nearly one in two.

This is not a minor issue. Reporting touches millions of families—disproportionately Black, Brown, Indigenous, immigrant, disabled, and poor. But most families learn how this system works only after they are already in it.

This piece is for you. Read it before that happens. Understand your risks so you can mitigate them.

What mandated reporting is—and what it isn't

Mandated reporters are people required by law to report suspected child abuse or neglect to CPS. This includes doctors, nurses, teachers, social workers, and many others.

The bar for filing a report is low: "reasonable suspicion." Reporters do not need proof. They do not need to ask you questions first. And in most states, they face no legal consequences for reporting you unfairly, unjustly, or incorrectly.

Child abuse and neglect are also misdiagnosed.

Although the vast majority of cases are unsubstantiated, CPS involvement is often traumatizing for families of color. A report does not guarantee your family will receive food, housing, mental health care, or any other support. What it does guarantee is scrutiny and the risk of your child being removed from your home.

Why this falls hardest on Black and Brown families

Black children are reported to CPS at nearly twice the rate of white children. Native children have the highest rates of entry into foster care. This is not because abuse or neglect is more common in these communities. It is because conditions created by racism—like poverty, food insecurity, and housing instability—are treated as neglect and then policed more heavily.

Providers are trained to report—and to face legal consequences if they do not. They are rarely trained to recognize how racism shapes what they see as "suspicious." There are no clinical standards requiring them to consider racial bias and stereotypes before filing. And there are no consequences when they get it wrong. This is concerning because children in foster care face........

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