Mandated Reporting Harm Reduction:
Balancing Risk Assessment Tool (BRAT)
Over and over again, we hear from people navigating the realities of mandated reporting and family policing: “What happens if I do it wrong? Will I get in trouble?”
This tool outlines some of the most common questions practitioners and community-based groups encounter when navigating the realities of mandated reporting and supports them to develop practices that align with their values, reduce the harms of criminalization, and assess the various risks associated with mandated reporting.
Over and over again, we hear from people navigating the realities of mandated reporting and family policing: “What happens if I do it wrong? Will I get in trouble?”
Navigating the everyday realities of mandatory reporting and concerns about the harms of criminalization can feel daunting. People concerned about the harms of mandated reporting face a slew of messages from "We need mandated reporting to keep children safe," to "Don't report! Never comply with unjust laws."
Developed in collaboration with the Mandatory Reporting is Not Neutral Project and Interrupting Criminalization’s Beyond Do No Harm Network, the Mandated Reporting Balancing Risk Assessment Tool (BRAT) is designed to help practitioners and community-based groups concerned about the harms of the criminal legal system and family policing to navigate mandated reporting risk assessment and harm reduction practices.
This is the recording of the presentation portion of a live virtual workshop held on February 3, 2026.
