By Sarah J. Watson
Published December 19, 2024
If you are a mandated reporter in New York, you must retake the NYS Child Abuse and Identification training from a New York State Education Department (NYSED)-approved provider — such as the University at Buffalo School of Social Work Office of Continuing Education — prior to April 1, 2025, according to an updated requirement from NYSED.
Mandated reporters include social workers, educators, health care professionals, law enforcement and more, who play a vital role in keeping kids safe and helping families thrive.
The state Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) revised the curriculum to help mandated reporters confront their own implicit bias, as personal and professional experiences can shape how we view certain situations. The Statewide Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment (SCR) has reported that a disproportionate number of families of color are reported to them compared to white families, prompting the new curriculum and training requirement.
Additionally, the curriculum aims to help professionals identify adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and recognize signs of abuse and neglect in virtual settings. OCFS hopes the training will help mandated reporters determine when to call the SCR or when families need to be connected to community-based resources, including the new HEARS (Help, Empower, Advocate, Reassure and Support) phone line.
In response to this required training, the UB School of Social Work’s Office of Continuing Education will offer several training options before the April 1 deadline, including workshops in January and March. The training, titled “Cultural Humility and Mandated Reporting: Providing Respectful Services to Clients and Families,” is taught by Wayne Brown, LCSW, EdM.
Kathleen Heim, director of the Office of Continuing Education, highlights the benefits of Brown’s workshops over self-study options: “Our program not only satisfies the state’s mandated reporter requirement and offers live CEs, but it also fosters collaborative reflection among social workers. Participants will explore how the new curriculum enhances intervention strategies and community-based supports for families. Professor Brown’s workshops create dynamic, interactive spaces for practitioners to discuss real-world scenarios and share their expertise.”
The workshop will be offered on the following dates:
The UB School of Social Work Office of Continuing Education is proud to work in collaboration with the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) to offer scholarships beginning Jan. 1 to staff from service providers within the 19 western region counties of New York that provide OMH-funded services to children, adolescents and their families. For eligibility information, visit socialwork.buffalo.edu/conted/omhebp.
OCFS also offers a free, online training that meets the updated requirement. Visit the OCFS website for details.