Keir Starmer, former Director of Public Prosecutions, has reignited calls for mandatory reporting which would mean all professionals would have to report suspicions of child abuse or face legal consequences.
Mandatory reporting is already law in Canada, Australia, Denmark and in several US states including Florida, where a failure to report such cases can result in a £600, 000 fine.
Since the violent death of four-year old Daniel Pelka, campaigners have also called for a law to ensure teachers and carers who spot bruising and extreme hunger in children must, by law, report these signs of abuse.
Mr Starmer was on the BBC's Panorama programme and stated that Britain should have a 'very straightforward, simple scheme' that would 'change the law and close a gap that's been there for a very long time'.
We hear from a member of the With Kids team in response to calls for the mandatory reporting law:
'The issue isn't mandatory reporting, it is really about what action is taken after reporting. Many, many reports of neglect etc are not acted upon because Social Work have insufficient resources.'
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