Comparison of Attitudes of School Administrators and Counselors towards Mandatory Reporting of Suspected Child Sexual Abuse

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the attitudes of Turkish school administrators and school counselors towards the mandatory reporting of suspected child sexual abuse and to determine their main support needs in relation to their reporting obligations. Quantitative and qualitative research methods were used in this study. Both groups had high subscale scores which indicated positive attitude, but although the quantitative results suggested that school administrators had a more positive attitude than school counselors, this result was not confirmed by the qualitative analysis. The school administrators did not know the relevant laws and the school counselors thought they were unclear. Both groups had concerns about the consequences of reporting for themselves and children, but only reporter-related factors such ensuring the security of reporters were identified as preconditions for fulfilling their obligation to report CSA. More child-centered reporting policies should be devised and implemented.