Anonymous child welfare hotline reporting gives private individuals the power to trigger government action against a family without putting a name to the accusation. That is the accountability vacuum at the heart of the system. When an anonymous phone call can launch an investigation, prompt warrantless home visits, interrogate a child at school, and even contribute to removal, the process stops looking like protection and starts looking like a tool that can be weaponized.

The data is damning. Anonymous reports are overwhelmingly unsubstantiated, far more often than identified reports, yet they still consume investigative resources and impose real costs on families and children. The result is a system flooded with noise, vulnerable to harassment and retaliation, and built in a way that invites distrust. A child welfare hotline should protect children, not create a pathway for unaccountable accusations to unleash state power.