State unveils updated training for mandatory reporters

By The Chronicle staff
Posted 12/16/24

The Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) has updated its mandatory reporter training, which the agency says will highlight the distinction between families in need of support versus …

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State unveils updated training for mandatory reporters

Posted

The Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) has updated its mandatory reporter training, which the agency says will highlight the distinction between families in need of support versus signs of child abuse and neglect and the importance of connecting those families to resources.

“When poverty or other family circumstances are mistaken for neglect, this creates disparities in reporting, impacting some individuals or groups more than others,” DCYF Assistant Secretary of Partnership, Prevention and Services Vickie Ybarra said in a statement. “In Washington, Native American/Alaska Native families, and some communities of color are disproportionately impacted by poverty and the child welfare system.”

Under Washington law, most adults who work with children, including doctors, nurses, dentists, teachers and child care providers, are classified as mandatory reporters, which means they are legally required to report incidents when they believe a child has suffered abuse or neglect. According to DCYF, the agency’s intake line received more than 129,000 calls last year, with 74% of those calls designated as mandatory reporters. More than 85,000 of the calls were screened out, which the agency said means they did not meet the legal requirements for intervention.

The updated training includes:

• Distinctions between poverty and neglect and available resources to help families



• Modules that address bias

• Videos highlighting the impact of reporting child abuse and neglect

• Knowledge checks that allow mandatory reporters to practice scenarios

“We hope this training increases the number of mandatory reporters that connect children and families with valuable community resources — preventing intake calls for issues that could be better addressed by ongoing community support,” DCYF Assistant Secretary of Child Welfare Natalie Green said.