{"id":32268,"date":"2025-09-22T17:56:51","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T17:56:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/caseyfamilyv2.wpengine.com\/mandated-reporter-education-training\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T16:33:04","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T16:33:04","slug":"capacitacion-sobre-la-obligacion-de-reportar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casey.org\/es\/mandated-reporter-education-training\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00bfCu\u00e1les son algunos ejemplos de educaci\u00f3n, capacitaci\u00f3n y herramientas actualizadas para los informantes obligatorios?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A growing body of evidence demonstrates that the current system of mandated reporting may inflict<\/strong> unnecessary trauma and intrusion<\/strong> into the lives of children and families, while not necessarily achieving its primary goal of keeping children safe. Child welfare leaders, community stakeholders, and lived experts across the country are raising important questions about the current design and approach of mandated reporting for child protection, as well as exploring new avenues to support families in crisis beyond the child protection hotline<\/a>, such as helplines<\/a> and community pathways<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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Mandated reporters do not intend to create trauma for children and families. Far from it. Focus group research shows that professionals who work with children often make child protection hotline reports when immediate danger to a child is not present because they want to get support for the family and don\u2019t know how else to do so.<\/p>\n

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Creating better education, training, and support for mandated reporters, including decision-making tools and resource guides,<\/strong> is one important lever for transforming mandated reporting<\/a>. Other levers include: Engaging people with lived expertise; examining the latest research and data trends; building a new narrative and shifting mindsets; reviewing the impacts of relevant statutory and policy approaches<\/a>; and designing pathways for families to access support outside of the child welfare system.<\/p>\n

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Addressing all of these issues is critical to ensure that the child protection agency is focused on responding to safety-related concerns for children, as well as preventing children and families from experiencing the traumas associated with unwarranted investigation or separation.<\/p>\n

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This brief highlights the experiences of Los Angeles County<\/strong>, New Hampshire<\/strong>, and the state of New York<\/strong> in revising and transforming mandated reporter training and education to improve safety-related decision-making, reduce unnecessary hotline calls, and increase access to services for non-safety related concerns. It also presents rationale for other jurisdictions to examine and transform their own approaches, and offers some key considerations and strategies for doing so.1<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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As community members and people who have been impacted and harmed by the child welfare system, we say let organizations within the community be the folks that help support the community.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

— Halimah Washington, Family Well-Being Project Manager, Rise<\/cite><\/figcaption>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n
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Background<\/h2>\n \n \n \n

In FY2023, about 4.4 million reports were made to child protection hotlines (involving approximately 7.8 million children), with just under half of those reports (48%) screened in for further investigation or assessment. About 71% of the screened-in reports were from professionals legally designated as mandated reporters in most states (including law-enforcement officers, school officials, and medical personnel).2<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0 Among the children reported to the hotline, an estimated 93% were either screened out for no further action or were investigated but unsubstantiated as victims of child abuse or neglect.3<\/sup><\/a> Responding to unwarranted calls to the child protection hotline diverts critical staff resources and attention away from the children and families who may need child protective services the most for safety-related reasons.<\/p>\n

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The current mandated reporting process also can discourage families from getting the help they need. An unwarranted report to the hotline is not harm neutral. Research shows that child protection investigations impose stress and trauma on children and families, and can interfere with the family\u2019s livelihood, relationships, and physical and mental well-being.4<\/sup><\/a> Research shows that mandated reporting is a key driver of racially disproportionate outcomes of child welfare system involvement,5<\/sup><\/a> with disproportionality occurring at the very front end of the child welfare continuum and continuing through to other key decisions, including out-of-home placement and the achievement of timely permanency.6<\/sup><\/a>,<\/sup>7<\/sup><\/a>,<\/sup>8<\/sup><\/a>,<\/sup>9<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Strategies for revising training and education<\/h2>\n \n \n \n

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Jurisdictions that are changing the way mandated reporters are educated and trained have identified several important considerations:<\/p>\n

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Collaborate with those most impacted<\/h3>\n

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It is important to include both mandated reporters from various professions and people with lived expertise in the revision process. The State of New Hampshire<\/strong> engaged more than 2,000 community professionals in its transformation process, including prominent roles for family members who have been impacted by the child welfare system (e.g. in leadership positions on workgroups and as community navigators who consult with mandated reporters). In Los Angeles County, philanthropic partners including the Center for Strategic Partnerships and Greater L.A. Education Foundation provided early support for listening sessions about the impact of the child welfare system and mandated reporting among educators and families.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Jurisdictional example<\/span><\/div>\n \n

New York<\/h2>\n \n \n \n

In May 2023, the New York State Office of Children and Family Services revised its mandated reporter training and issued an\u00a0administrative directive<\/a>\u00a0for staff to complete it.<\/p>\n

The new training was developed with\u00a0broad stakeholder input<\/strong>\u00a0and funded through a $100,000 grant to Prevent Child Abuse New York. Stakeholders included an impacted parent advisory group, an implicit bias advisory group, related professionals (education, early childhood, healthcare), partner agencies, and intra-agency departments. They discussed the vision for the training, gathered research and resources, and helped draft and review content.<\/p>\n

The free\u00a0online training<\/a>\u00a0takes about three hours and is in English and Spanish. One of the nine modules put participants in the role of a mandated reporter dealing with real-life scenarios. Pre- and post-tests measure knowledge, and users can ask follow-up questions via email.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Lead with safety<\/h3>\n

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Jurisdictions should anticipate concerns about child safety emerging when discussing changes to mandated reporting. Respond to those concerns by communicating that revised training and education of mandated reporters is not an attempt to undermine professionals\u2019 ability to make reports when warranted<\/strong> for safety-related reasons. Jurisdictions also could uplift that no compelling evidence links mandated reporting to preventing child maltreatment,10<\/sup><\/a>,<\/sup>11<\/sup><\/a>,<\/sup>12<\/sup><\/a>,<\/sup>13<\/sup><\/a>,<\/sup>14<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0and share that unnecessary reports by mandated reporters may jeopardize child safety both by overwhelming the resources needed to investigate reports where there is a safety-related concern and by eroding family trust in public systems.<\/p>\n

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Share data<\/h3>\n

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Mandated reporters often are surprised to learn about the low substantiation rates of their reports, and the very small percentage of cases that receive services as a result. Hearing that most children who are the subject of a child protection report ultimately stay with their families may help some professionals better understand why it is so important for the community to bolster families with services and not rely solely on the hotline when concerns arise. Sharing data showing racial disproportionality also can be impactful for mandated reporters, particularly in the context of potential implicit bias.<\/p>\n

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In New Hampshire<\/strong>, stakeholders received regular data reports during the COVID-19 pandemic showing that while the overall number of mandated reports decreased, actual case openings did not. This helped mandated reporters consider that when schools were open, a high volume of unnecessary reporting may have been taking place.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Jurisdictional example<\/span><\/div>\n \n

Los Angeles County<\/h2>\n \n \n \n

The\u00a0Mandated Supporting Initiative<\/a>\u00a0in Los Angeles County began in 2022 with a\u00a0Knowledge is Power data summit<\/a>\u00a0hosted by the Racial Justice Committee of the county\u2019s Commission on Children and Families. The summit shared data and stories to explore what brings Black families into contact with the county\u2019s child welfare system, and to propel the development of strategies to create meaningful change at the individual, organizational, and systems levels.<\/p>\n

Enhanced mandated reporter training and decision support are cornerstones of the comprehensive initiative, which has multiple components. A training supplement informs reporters about a state law that narrowed the definition of reportable general neglect. This training, released in early 2024, operationalizes the new law, provides concrete guidance and decision support, and discusses bias in decision-making. It also disabuses mandated reporters of the myth that overreporting is harmless by educating them on the consequences, such as racial disproportionality in the child welfare system.<\/p>\n

A curriculum development guide for organizations that want to create their own trainings in alignment with the initiative is under development, as is a training with sector-specific modules.<\/p>\n

The initiative has pulled in stakeholders from outside the immediate child welfare sphere, including the Los Angeles County Office of Education.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Discuss the harm from unwarranted reports<\/h3>\n

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During listening sessions in Los Angeles County<\/strong>, many mandated reporters stated they were unaware of the consequences of unnecessary reporting. Some jurisdictions have made attempts to humanize the experience of being on the other end of an unfounded accusation of abuse or neglect, encouraging mandated reporters to imagine the potential impacts to a family\u2019s livelihood, relationships, and physical and emotional well-being after a child protection worker knocks on their door.<\/p>\n

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New York<\/strong> changed its messaging strategy from \u201cWhen in doubt, report,\u201d to \u201cYou don\u2019t have to report a family to support a family.\u201d In New Hampshire<\/strong>, mandated reporters who reach out to a community navigator for decision-making support have the opportunity to hear about the potential impact of a report on families firsthand from someone with direct experience with the child welfare system.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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It has been really important to avoid demonizing people, groups, organizations, or sectors. Mandated reporting law, policy, and practice has been coercive to professionals as well. We have given them an extremely consequential responsibility and failed to prepare them for it.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

— Tamara Hunter, Executive Director, Los Angeles County Commission for Children and Families<\/cite><\/figcaption>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n
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Address the distinction between poverty and neglect<\/h3>\n

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Attempts to revise the training and education of mandated reporters often focus on reports of neglect, which too often are conflated with family poverty<\/a>, which may be addressed through community supports. Training and education on what circumstances rise to the level of a hotline call \u2014 versus non-safety related concerns that don\u2019t warrant a call \u2014 was an important goal of the new state mandated reporter training in New York<\/strong>. In Los Angeles County<\/strong>, a training supplement released in early 2024 informs professionals about a 2022 law change that narrowed the definition of reportable general neglect<\/a> and stated that economic hardship is not the same as general neglect<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Jurisdictional example<\/span><\/div>\n \n

New Hampshire<\/h2>\n \n \n \n

New Hampshire is piloting a\u00a0community navigator<\/strong>\u00a0program, and is developing a community response guide, Community navigators are people with lived experience of the child welfare system who provide additional resources and information to both families and reporters in screened-out cases. They are available by phone to help mandated reporters make right decisions; approach families with their concerns in more effective, strength-based ways; and identify resources in the community that can help.<\/p>\n

A statewide nonprofit, Granite Pathways, was awarded the contract for staffing the pilot, which launched in July 2023. The pilot currently shares staff and other resources with the Strength to Succeed program, which provides peer support for child welfare-involved families. The program reaches only a small number of families currently, but early feedback suggests that contact with the program may positively impact mandated reporters\u2019 thinking about future cases, making them more likely to seek out community supports for families in lieu of calling the hotline. The agency hopes to expand over time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Include decision-making support<\/h3>\n

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In Los Angeles County<\/strong>, the training supplement also includes information about implicit bias and critical thinking practice, as well as a simple fill-in decision tree for concerns of general neglect designed to help people make better decisions. In New York<\/strong>, the new training was required to include protocols to reduce implicit bias and includes an online decision tree<\/a>. New Hampshire<\/strong> is working with Evident Change<\/a> to develop a statewide community response guide<\/a> \u2014 an online, real-time tool to help mandated reporters make more equitable decisions by considering a full range of options to help families, including connecting them to local service agencies when appropriate. The state also is piloting a community navigator program (see jurisdictional example sidebar).<\/p>\n

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Provide alternatives<\/h3>\n

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Any effort to improve training and education of mandated reporters about what constitutes reportable abuse or neglect must also provide an accessible and reliable referral pathway to other community supports. In New Hampshire<\/strong>, this approach is being piloted through the community navigator program. New York <\/strong>has established an alternative helpline: HEARS (Help, Empower, Advocate, Reassure, and Support), which the state child welfare agency runs but staffs separately from the child protection hotline. Mandated reporters or families themselves can call HEARS to learn about community resources. In New York City<\/strong>, a new dedicated support line fields calls from mandated reporters and families seeking community services. Social workers staff the support line and connect families to a range of community services, including those that can provide immediate assistance.<\/p>\n

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Tailor training by type of mandated reporter<\/h3>\n

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Different groups of professionals interact with families in very different contexts and circumstances, and have different professional norms, standards, and requirements for mandated reporting. It may be helpful to tailor all or part of mandated reporter training by profession, particularly for the most common groups of reporters. In Los Angeles County<\/strong>, inconsistent and inadequate mandated reporter curricula led the team to begin developing a type-specific training that will customize information for the various professions, such as law enforcement, education, and health care. The New York City<\/strong> Administration for Children\u2019s Services used the new statewide training as a catalyst to deliver specialized sessions for school staff and develop an introductory video that features senior leadership from both the school district and child protection agency.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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Addressing common challenges<\/h2>\n \n \n \n

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Decentralized training<\/h3>\n

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State and county child protection agencies typically do not host trainings for all mandated reporters. Organizations that employ large numbers of mandated reporters, such as school districts, often receive training through other partners, including insurance companies and other entities primarily concerned with risk management. In New York<\/strong>, the state child welfare agency developed a training syllabus that reflects guidance laid out in state statute\u00a0 \u2014 and others are expected to align with it. All mandated reporters in New York are required to take the new training by April 2025, with employers (not the state) managing compliance. In New Hampshire<\/strong>, the child protection agency plans to work closely with training partners to ensure the new key messages are fully conveyed.<\/p>\n

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Concerns around liability<\/h3>\n

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Laws penalizing reporters for failing to report maltreatment may act as incentive to report, even when safety concerns are low. As a result, any guidance for mandated reporters must address and be aligned with current law and policy around reporting and liability for failure to report.15<\/sup><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0New Hampshire<\/strong> is conducting extensive consultation with the state attorney general\u2019s office in advance of releasing its community response guide. New York<\/strong> similarly sought counsel on what could be said in the new training, as well as how it could be framed.<\/p>\n

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Differences in stakeholder perspectives<\/h3>\n

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Jurisdictions may have to navigate challenging stakeholder engagement sessions as they work to transform mandated reporting. Leaders in New Hampshire<\/strong> emphasized the importance of establishing lasting, trusting relationships among those engaged in efforts to improve the education and training of mandated reporters. Transforming the mandated reporting process will take time, and those engaged in the process note that the extra energy and focused attention it has taken to hold frank conversations and understand stakeholder concerns has been worth it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

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I think there is a lot of mutual respect that has grown between stakeholder groups in New Hampshire over the years. Not right away, but through the process, we all have come to respect that we bring different lenses, and we have created an open space to listen to each other. We\u2019re all learning. If we can open up just one person\u2019s perspective, I call that a win.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

— Lori Hebert, Program Director, Strength to Succeed and Community Navigator, Granite Pathways<\/cite><\/figcaption>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Other resources in this series<\/h2>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n
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  1. \n \n
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    How is mandated reporting being transformed in California?<\/h5>\n

    Learn how California is transforming the state\u2019s mandated reporting policies to better support children and families.<\/p>\n Read More<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n <\/li>\n

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    How is New York City transforming its approach to mandated reporting?<\/h5>\n

    Learn how New York City is transforming its mandated reporting policies to better support children and families.<\/p>\n Read More<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n <\/li>\n

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    How are two counties in California transforming mandated reporting?<\/h5>\n

    Learn how Los Angeles and San Diego Counties are transforming their mandated reporting practices to better support children and families.<\/p>\n Read More<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n <\/li>\n

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    How are some jurisdictions transforming mandated reporting?<\/h5>\n

    Explore the seven levers of transforming mandated reporting, as identified by child protection agency leaders and lived experts.<\/p>\n Read More<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n <\/li>\n

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    How can child protection agencies partner with other sectors to transform mandated reporting?<\/h5>\n

    Explore the steps child protection agencies can take to build strong partnerships aimed at transforming mandated reporting in their communities.<\/p>\n Read More<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n <\/li>\n <\/ol>\n <\/div>\n

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