Your instances are understandable given there was physical evidence to at least consider suspicion. In my situation an individual 3,000 miles away who had never seen the child accused the parents of starving a child based on a description by another person taken completely out of context.
But my point is the social workers were likely obligated to treat it seriously, and if the child indeed DID appear underweight, that could also constitute physical evidence to support the claim (regardless of who made the claim and from where), which they'd need to investigate.
I wasn't so much discussing the mandatory reporting rules, but rather how they were handled by social services. Like with my friend's son - it was a run of the mill black eye that that teacher saw, questioned, then reported. Not to support whomever reported your niece, as it sounds like maybe there was some idiocy or bad intentions or love for drama there... but if she HAD been quietly being starved and at risk, I'd hope a report of concern would be taken seriously, regardless of where it came from.
I think the point some make here is too often reports aren't taken seriously, or are too often easily dismissed.
It's a delicate balance, and I am sure it was terrifying to your family. I'm sure it was scary and hard on your niece. But so many kids fall through the cracks and too many things either never get reported or don't get treated seriously by investigators - so it's hard to completely disparage any real investigation, even when a report is inaccurate. I imagine she was eventually released to her family (I don't remember)? If so, it says the system worked for her... provided she's
really not being starved.
I am in no way, shape, or form suggesting that I think your niece was actually being starved/underfed/etc, but rather pointing out that not everyone treats these investigations with the gravitas they deserve, and that I'm sure there are many kids who ARE being abused but slip through after unvestigation clears the abusers.
Unfortunately, the system does not work for everyone.