Pennsylvania Child Abuse Reporting for Mental Health Professionals

By Carmen Wilson

The Mandated Child Abuse Reporting Training: Act 31 takes effect in 2015 for all licensed health care professionals in Pennsylvania. All health care professionals are required to have a minimum of 2 hours of continuing education in child abuse recognition and reporting in order to renew a license.

Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists; the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB #1046, ACE Program)

This course, which includes two CDC bulletins, discusses the findings of the National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV), the most comprehensive nationwide survey of the incidence and prevalence of children’s exposure to violence to date, sponsored by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The survey confirms the alarming statistic that most of our society’s children are exposed to violence in their daily lives. More than 60% of the children surveyed were exposed to violence within the past year, either directly or indirectly. The reports further reveal the adverse effects suffered by children who witness violence, identify risk and protective factors, and describe the key elements of designing an effective response.

 

Domestic violence, in the form of child abuse and intimate partner violence, remains a pervasive part of contemporary life in the U.S. Its effects are deep and far-reaching. This course is intended to help health professionals maintain a high state of vigilance and to be well prepared with immediate and appropriate responses when abuse is disclosed. There is a special section on the complexity of an abuse victim’s decision about if and when to leave an abuser. This course will teach clinicians to detect abuse when they see it, screen for the particulars, and respond with definitive assistance in safety planning, community referrals, and individualized treatment plans.