An online tool to help school employees receive the annual training they need to identify and report suspected cases of child abuse and/or neglect is now available.
Starting this year, Assembly Bill 1432 (Assemblyman Mike Gatto, D-Los Angeles), requires every local educational agency (LEA) to train all employees each year on what they need to know in order to identify and report suspected cases of child abuse and/or neglect. “All employees” is defined as teachers, teacher’s aides, classified employees, and all other workers whose duties bring them into direct contact and supervision of students. LEAs must also develop a process to provide proof that employees received training.
The California Department of Social Services, with input from the California Department of Education (CDE), created the online Child Abuse Mandated Reporting Training lessons. It teaches school employees how to identify suspected cases of child abuse and/or neglect, the obligation they have to make a report, and the appropriate process to follow when making the report. The self-paced lessons are continuously available at no charge to the public.
CDE also updated its Child Abuse Prevention Web page to provide LEAs with resources on training, reporting guidelines and procedures, and other information to create a safe environment for children.