Mandatory reporting of suspected abuse 'can have undesired impacts on victims'

Last December in his annual report the Special Rapporteur on Child Protection, Professor Conor O'Mahony, outlined a number of possible solutions to the difficulty in ensuring no risk is posed to children arising out of an allegation. File image: iStock

Mandatory reporting of allegations of abuse can contribute to secondary trauma in survivors - and can also have a severe impact on the professionals they tell, according to new research.

The study, which surveyed the views of psychologists working for the HSE, found "negative unintended consequences" of mandatory reporting, which is a legal requirement. The author of the study said "the extent and pervasiveness of these issues were surprising".