Official Site of The State of New Jersey
Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect: Training for New Jersey School Educators and Staff
Welcome to the updated training for school educators and staff on reporting potentially missing, abused, or neglected child situations.
In collaboration with the New Jersey Department of Children and Families (DCF) and with the shared goal of ensuring that every child in New Jersey feels safe and supported, the New Jersey Department of Education developed materials for use by local school districts to assist in training school personnel, volunteers, and interns pursuant to N.J.A.C. 6A:16-11.1.
This course is designed for K–12 educators and school staff across the state to help them recognize and appropriately respond to suspected child abuse or neglect, ensuring students are safe and supported.
- This current version of the training has been designed to be delivered by a facilitator to a group of staff (e.g., PLC group or staff PD). The facilitator is responsible for ensuring those being trained have reviewed all content and completed all knowledge checks. We encourage training facilitators to maintain an attendance list to document which staff members participated in the training. School roles such as the school counselor, school social worker, or school safety specialist may be best equipped to lead this training.
- This training will take approximately 90 minutes to complete if completed in one-sitting. It is recommended to allow additional time for discussion and questions.
- It is organized into the following six sections:
- Legal Foundations and Reporting Trends
- Recognizing and Understanding Signs of Child Abuse and Neglect
- Recognizing and Reducing Bias in Reporting Decisions
- Reporting Considerations
- The Reporting Process
- After the Report
- Below, you will find resources to accompany this training, such as a decision-making tree, list of community resources, and quick-reference sheets.
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*Special Note: This version of the training does not include a certificate of completion. We are in the process of including this training on the NJDOE’s Learning Management System and once available, that version will provide the ability for the training to be completed on an individual basis and will include a certificate of completion. |
This updated training continues to support educators by equipping them with the knowledge to recognize indicators of child abuse and neglect and to respond appropriately, supporting the safety and well-being of all students. A few notable updates from the last available training include:
- Integration of a decision-making tree (developed by NJ DCF) and instruction on how to utilize it by reviewing potential real-world scenarios.
- Understanding the distinction between poverty versus neglect and how that translates into whether a report or support is needed.
- Gain awareness of what biases are and the role they can play in the reporting process.
This training has been developed using Microsoft PowerPoint and includes a voice narration. The PowerPoint slides are not “timed” and must be advanced manually. Schools are also permitted to download the slide deck for ease of use, if so desired.
The ideal method for viewing the presentation is in the context of a group so that school personnel can be engaged in discussion and common understandings about the material.
NJDOE Resources
- Child Abuse Reporting Checklist - Coming soon!
- FAQs About the Reporting Process - Coming soon!
- N.J.A.C. 6A:16-11.1, Reporting Potentially Missing, Abused, or Neglected Children
- Child Abuse, Neglect, & Missing Children
NJDCF Resources
