The PA Family Support Alliance (PFSA), Pennsylvania’s leading statewide child abuse prevention organization, announced today that new virtual trainings on recognizing child abuse and neglect are now available to help mandated reporters better understand child neglect and how best to respond to it.

PFSA will host the three-hour Recognizing and Responding to Child Abuse and Neglect training throughout August at no cost to mandated reporters, or those Pennsylvania law requires to report suspected abuse and neglect of a child.

“Neglect unfortunately takes many forms, and it’s incumbent upon all of us who look after children each day to be vigilant for and aware of the signs of neglect,” said Angela Liddle, PFSA’s president and CEO. “This new training provides mandated reporters with the tools and resources to help them better understand what neglect looks like to ensure that all Pennsylvania Children can thrive in environments free from neglect and abuse.”

The training is intended for mandated reporters who have previously completed training on recognizing and reporting child abuse. Participants will learn how to recognize signs of neglect in children; determine when and how to make a referral to ChildLine, Pennsylvania’s 24-hour hotline to report abuse; understand General Protective Services and agency procedures; and develop prevention and intervention strategies.

The trainings have been approved by the Pennsylvania Departments of Human Services, Education and State, and meet all requirements for recognizing and reporting child abuse, including those for school employees, continuing-education credits and ongoing professional education. PFSA will submit training verifications to the Departments of State and Education upon completion.

To learn more information about or to register for a training, please visit https://pafsa.org/mandated-reporter-training/.

From CapitolWire, August 7, 2023