Virtual Child Abuse Assessment and Reporting for Professionals

Marcy Hara

Training Description

Professionals who work directly with at-risk children and system involved youth are mandated reporters of child abuse and neglect. It is critical that mandated reporters and caregivers of system involved youth are trained to recognize the signs of different types of abuse or neglect. Additionally, a mandated reporter must fully understand how and where to report suspected abuse in accordance with their legal obligation.

Learning Objectives

· Differentiate between the four different types of child abuse; physical abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse.

· Explain at least 1 physical or behavioral indicator of the four types of child abuse.

· Explain at least 2 legal responsibilities of a mandated reporter; Determine when and how to contact the appropriate agency; Explain at least 2 possible outcomes after reporting to child welfare.

Agenda

8:30 – 8:45am Welcome, Introductions, and Overview of the training

8:45 – 9:15am Child Abuse Statistics and Legal History

9:15 – 9:45am Requirements of a Mandated Reporter in California

· Who are Mandated Reporters in California?

· Types of Mandated Reporters

9:45 – 10:00am Break (CE hours will not be offered for this time)

10:00 – 10:45am Identifying and defining Child Abuse:

· Physical Abuse

   ·  Definition

   ·  Examples

      o Unlawful Corporal Punishment

      o Burns

      o Fractures

· Physical Indicators

· Behavioral Indicators

10:45am – 12:00pm Identifying and defining Child Abuse:

· Physical Abuse: Behavioral Indicators (continued)

· General Neglect

   ·  Definition

   ·  Examples

· Physical Indicators

· Behavioral Indicators

· Parental Indicators

12:00 – 1:00pm Lunch (CE hours will not be offered for this time)

1:00 – 2:00pm Identifying and defining Child Abuse:

· Severe Neglect

   ·  Definition

   ·  Examples

· Parental Substance Abuse

· Physical Indicators

· Behavioral Indicators

· Sexual Abuse

   ·  Definition

   ·  Examples

2:00 – 3:00pm Identifying and defining Child Abuse:

· Physical Indicators: Sexual Abuse (continued)

· Behavioral Indicators

· Emotional Abuse

   ·  Definition

   · Examples

· Physical Indicators

· Behavioral Indicators

3:00 – 3:15pm Break (CE hours will not be offered for this time)

3:15 – 3:45pm Child Abuse in a cultural context

· What is not Child Abuse

· Cultural responsiveness

3:45 – 4:00pm Mandated Reporting Procedures

· Obstacles to reporting

· Liability

· Immunity

4:00 – 4:45pm Public Child Welfare in California: After the report is made…

· Public Child Welfare Flow Chart

· Feedback after a report is made

· Liability

   · Criminal

   ·  Civil

· Immunity from Liability

4:45 – 5:00pm Wrap-up

Meet Our Trainer

Marcy Hara has a Master’s Degree in Social Work (MSW) and has worked in Public Child Welfare since 2000. She has provided case management and support to children and families dealing with child abuse and neglect as a direct services Social Worker in Continuing Services and Dependency Investigations/Court units. Ms. Hara was promoted to a Supervisor in 2014 and supervised a unit of Emergency Response Social Workers and later supervised newly hired Social Workers in the Staff Development department. She currently supervises in the Resource Family Approval program in Contra Costa County, providing supervision to social workers who certify resource families to become foster parents. Ms. Hara has trained on many different child welfare topics, including mandated reporting of child abuse and neglect since 2008, in addition to creating child welfare curriculum over the past ten years.

This course meets the qualifications for (7.0) BBS CE hours for LCSWs, LMFTs, LPCCs, and LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences & is provided by Fred Finch Youth Center, CAMFT Provider #045295.