Published February 21, 2025

Mandatory Reporters play a vital role in safeguarding vulnerable children when they believe abuse or neglect is occurring. This is done through reporting to the Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) Intake, or by supporting families with community referrals when they have identified risk factors present that could contribute to the potential of abuse or neglect.

This eLearning course is designed to guide you through the essential steps of Mandatory Reporting and is divided into three key sections—Recognize, Record, and Report. Throughout this eLearning, you will be introduced to indicators of abuse, how to support a family in your community when you have a concern about the potential for abuse or neglect to occur, how to accurately document concerns of abuse or neglect, and the reporting process. You’ll explore the influence of biases on reporting decisions and racial disproportionality within our state’s child welfare system. You will also be provided with a number of resources to support your role as Mandatory Reporter.

The course is free, self-paced, and available whenever you are. Register HERE. You must create a “new visitor” account in order to register for this course. Once you have an account, login with your “visitor” login to then register for the Mandatory Reporter course.

Learning Objectives

Knowledge

• Define mandatory reporting, when it is required and the role of a Mandatory Reporters.
• Describe or explain what might happen after a report is made.

Skills

• Identify or choose when a family experiencing poverty is neglecting their child versus struggling to meet their basic needs.
• Identify the challenges of Mandatory Reporting and learn best practice.
• Gather information to get a better understanding of the situation.
• Demonstrate or explain when and how to make a report.

Value

• Demonstrate how as Mandatory Reporter you can also support the children and families in your communities.