PFSA-Backed Training Bill Approved to Help Spot Child Abuse

HARRISBURG, Pa., Sept. 20, 2011 - Legislation to require mandated reporters employed in Pennsylvania schools to receive training on recognizing and reporting child abuse has been unanimously voted out of the state Senate Appropriations Committee.

"The approval of Senate Bill 449 by the Appropriations Committee increases the likelihood that this important measure will be considered by the entire Senate sometime later this fall," said Angela Liddle, executive director of the Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance (PFSA). "We consider this an encouraging step toward ultimate passage. We applaud the members of the committee for their action."
PFSA has endorsed Senate Bill 449, which was introduced earlier this year by state Sen. Pat Vance, R-Cumberland and York counties.

Teachers and other school employees are considered mandated reporters and as such have a legal duty to report suspected abuse and neglect. "They need to be trained in order to be able to carry out and fulfill that duty," Liddle said. "This legislation will guarantee they have the knowledge and skills to fulfill their responsibility under the law."

The bill directs the state Department of Public Welfare, in consultation with the state Department of Education, to set up a child abuse recognition and reporting program.
Teachers and other mandated reporters employed by or under contract to schools would be required to undergo a minimum of three hours of training every five years. In addition to teachers, school-employed social workers, guidance counselors, school nurses, and administrators would be covered.
The proposed law would apply to public school districts, intermediate units, vocational-technical schools, charter schools, and private schools.

Pennsylvania officials received more than 24,600 reports of suspected child and student abuse in 2010. According to the state Department of Public Welfare, mandated reporters, the majority of whom are school employees, account for 77 percent of all substantiated reports of abuse in Pennsylvania.

PFSA, a nonprofit organization, provides training on recognizing and reporting child abuse and neglect through schools, early childhood education centers, religious institutions, and social service agencies. It trained 8,100 mandated reporters during the past year.