Child Abuse and Neglect Training

Training

Wisconsin law requires all employees of Wisconsin public school districts to report suspected child abuse and neglect, Wis. Stat. sec. 48.981(2)(a)16m. In addition, school boards are to ensure all employees receive training provided by the Department of Public Instruction within six months of initial hiring and at least every five years thereafter, Wis. Stat. sec. 118.07(5). Employees are considered to be anyone who receives an annual statement of wages for tax purposes (W-2 form) from the school district. Some school districts contract with a Cooperative Educational Service Agency (CESA) or other organizations for different kinds of services. In such cases, school districts may wish to consider requiring these contracted personnel to participate in the required training, if they work with students.

School districts may select one of two methods to ensure their employees complete the training requirement:

1. Learning Modules   Updated August 2018

 

(Chrome is the preferred internet browser to view these online training modules.)

All school employees complete the Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect - Training for All School Employees learning module. At the end of the webcast, participants may choose to send an email to a person of their choice (e.g., building principal, human resources), as well as to cc themselves. A copy of the email serves as the completion certificate. There is no longer an option to print a separate certificate. The Department of Public Instruction does not maintain a record of individual completion of this training.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to the high volume of users taking this course, it may take 10-14 business days to receive your confirmation email. If you do not receive a confirmation email within 10-14 business days, please do the following:
   - Check spam/junk email folders.
   - Ensure all email addresses are spelled correctly.
   - Retake the training and submit the form again.
If you complete these steps and have still not received a confirmation email within 14 business days, contact dpisspw@dpi.wi.gov for further assistance.

• Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect-Training for All School Employees
• Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect-Supplemental Information

2. Local In-Service   Updated August 2018

Provide a local in-service using the Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect-Training for All School Employees PowerPoint presentation. Speaker notes are provided within each PowerPoint slide. The entire PowerPoint must be utilized in order to meet the statutory requirement of completion of DPI training. The Department recommends that anyone using the PowerPoint for a local in-service also view the Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect - Supplemental Information learning module as part of the preparation. Local presenters may incorporate any and all of the slides from the Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect - Supplemental Information PowerPoint presentation into a local in-service. In addition, local information (e.g., phone number for county child protective services) may be added to the presentation. School districts using this option to meet the training requirement may locally determine how to document employee participation.

• Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect-Training for All School Employees
• Mandatory Reporting of Child Abuse and Neglect-Supplemental Information

Additional Resources

• The School's Role in Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect
• Reporting Requirements for Sexually Active Adolescents: Suggested Procedures for Educators
• Confidential Services Available to Minors
• Department of Children and Families-Child Protective Services
• Children's Trust Fund
• Prevent Child Abuse Wisconsin

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Please note: All school employees must also complete the Mandatory Reporting of Threats of School Violence (Act 143) Training. The web module for this training is available on the Student Services/Prevention and Wellness Required Training for Wisconsin School Staff webpage.