Mandated Reporting & Child Protection Basics

By law, all staff who work with or come in contact with children are mandated reporters. Knowing the basic signs of child abuse, maltreatment, and neglect and how to effectively respond is vital knowledge for all Head Start, Early Head Start, and child care staff. This course covers general information about the legal responsibilities of mandated reporters and how to recognize and respond to possible abuse or maltreatment. Learners will finish this course knowing who a mandated reporter is, what a mandated reporter’s responsibilities are, and their own responsibilities as mandated reporters.

Course Level: Available on-demand

Requirements/Prerequisites: Beginner

Target Audience: Instruction and Effective Practice, Leadership and Management, Program Operations, Support Services

Course Meeting Times: None

Completion Timeline/Duration: One Month

Alignment with the Head Start Early Learning Outcomes Framework (ELOF): This course supports programs in meeting 1302.47: Safety Practices of the Head Start Performance Standards in which “a program must establish, train staff on, implement, and enforce a system of health and safety practices that ensure children are kept safe at all times.

Course Outline

Module Topics: Child Abuse, Maltreatment, Mandated Reporting

Learning Objectives: 

• Learners will understand the definitions of child abuse, maltreatment, and mandated reporting. 
• Learners will know how to recognize the signs of potential abuse or maltreatment in the children they serve. 
• Learners will understand their responsibilities as mandated reporters and know the process for when and how to make such reports.