If a CPS referral is made, does a parent have the right to know who made the report?

Short answer

Generally, no. In California, the identity of a person who reports suspected child abuse or neglect is confidential. A parent who is the subject of a CPS investigation is entitled to be told the complaints or allegations, but the agency must do so in a way that protects the reporter’s identity.[1]

“The identity of all persons who report under this article shall be confidential” except in specified circumstances, including disclosure to certain agencies or prosecutors, if the reporter waives confidentiality, or “by court order.”

What the parent may be told

At the initial contact, CPS must advise the person being investigated of the complaints or allegations against them. That requirement does not ordinarily entitle the parent to the reporter’s name or identifying details.[1]

The identity may be disclosed only in the circumstances allowed by statute, including a court order. The statute also generally bars an agency or other listed recipient from disclosing the reporter’s identity to the reporter’s employer without the employee’s consent or a court order.[1]

“Reports of suspected child abuse or neglect and information contained therein may be disclosed only” to the categories specified by statute.

That confidentiality applies to the report and information contained in it, subject to statutory exceptions.[2]

Important distinction

A parent may have separate rights to seek access to a juvenile case file through the juvenile court, but that is not the same as an automatic right to learn the reporter’s identity. Juvenile case-file access is governed by separate statutory and court-rule procedures, and other confidentiality laws may still restrict disclosure.[3][4]