Social Work Scotland position paper on Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse
August 2025
Introduction
Social Work Scotland (SWS) is the professional body for social work leaders, working closely with our partners to shape policy and practice, and improve the quality and experience of social services.
As an organisation and membership, we are committed to strengthening and evolving our approaches to how we protect and support people, utilising research, the learning from reviews and inquiries, and most importantly, the experiences of survivors and victims of trauma, abuse and harm. Any development must give effect to human rights, reflecting the value of all individuals.
Purpose
This document is a position paper, developed on behalf of our membership, to inform national discussions about the introduction of a mandatory reporting scheme (of abuse and neglect) in Scotland. It is not a response to a specific consultation or review, but instead the consolidation of reflection and discussion, among social work leaders, about the opportunities and challenges inherent to the introduction of such an approach. We are aware of the salience of these ideas at present, and the momentum building for the introduction of some version of mandatory reporting in the Scottish context.
The reflections and areas for consideration in this paper are drawn from engagement with our members across children and families, adults and justice social work, including Scotland’s thirty-two Chief Social Work Officers (CSWO). This included a bespoke event for members in May 2025. In facilitating this pan-professional discussion, we have attempted to fully consider the implications of mandatory reporting on all aspects of our services and responsibilities.
In developing our thinking on this subject, we would like to acknowledge the work of the Scottish Parliament’s Cross-Party Group on Adult Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse, who held an informative session at the Scottish Parliament in November 2024. We are also grateful to colleagues at the Centre for Excellence for Children’s Care and Protection (CELCIS) at the University of Strathclyde for their work in relation to the international evidence around mandatory reporting, which has informed SWS’ discussion.
