Training for Mandated Reporters
It’s important to report suspected child abuse and neglect. Reporting, however, isn’t the only way to protect children. It’s the last resort.
We also have a role in preventing maltreatment from happening.
When families are overloaded with stressors, this interferes with their ability to best care for their children. When we connect families to needed supports and resources, we are strengthening their ability to keep their children safe. By doing so, we are preventing child abuse and neglect.
You are a mandated reporter, but you can also consider yourself a mandated supporter. On this page, you will find two trainings: A training on what and when to report child maltreatment, and a training on why and how to support families in order to prevent maltreatment.
What to Report and When:
Mandated Reporter Training
The Arizona Department of Child Safety offers a free recorded Mandated Reporter Training on their site. This training explains when and when not to report suspected child abuse and neglect.
Considering Yourself a Mandated Supporter:
A Training for Mandated Reporters
This training is designed to help people who work with children and families understand ways to connect families to resources and support in order to reduce family overload and prevent child maltreatment.
If we want to make positive impacts on children, we must work to strengthen the context in which children grow: their families.
When families are overloaded with stress from life challenges, children suffer. When families have access to support that meets their needs and the tools to deal with stressors, children thrive.
The development of this training was informed by parents with lived experience of the Arizona child protection system (DCS), as well as focus groups of educators, a large category of mandated reporters in Arizona.