Numbers of Penn State employees trained in recognizing and reporting child abuse continue to rise as the program has officially launched online for added convenience.
Soon, it will be extended to the university community.
Penn State said about 3,500 employees have completed the “Reporting Child Abuse” program since it went live on Feb. 28. During committee meetings in mid-March, the Penn State Board of Trustees announced 12,569 employees received face-to-face training for identifying and preventing abuse.
Last year, Penn State finalized a new administrative policy, AD-72, “Reporting Suspected Child Abuse,” in an effort to offer guidance to university employees regarding mandated reporting requirements according to university and Pennsylvania Child Protective Services Law. The policy requires that all university employees complete the training each calendar year, Penn State said.
Currently, online training is available for university employees only. Susan Cromwell, director of workplace learning and performance in Penn State’s Office of Human Resources said training availability will soon expanded to include volunteers and students by the end of May.
“In the interim we will continue to offer live training for these groups until all training is online,” Cromwell said.
Once fully implemented, the online program will replace the live, face-to-face training. However, face-to-face sessions can still be requested and used in specialized circumstances, said Susan Basso, vice president for Human Resources.
Penn State started offering live sessions last April to address an immediate need to train authorized adults who would be working with children at numerous summer camps and workshops at University Park and other Penn State campuses across the Commonwealth.
Cromwell said the online format simplifies delivery of the training.
“It’s much more accessible,” she said. “Employees, volunteers and students will be able to take the training at their convenience, and we can accurately track all individuals who have been trained. Also, if the law or information changes at any time, we can easily make updates.”
The program is part of Penn State’s efforts to create and ensure a safe community for children while fulfilling the goal of educating the university community about child abuse and reporting. Basso said the program is intended to move people from not only awareness of the issue but toward having the confidence to take action.
Training is required for all Penn State employees at every campus location with the exception of Penn State Hershey Medical Center/College of Medicine, University Health Services and the client representation clinics of the Dickinson School of Law. Each of those units follow the policies and training appropriate to its own unique activities, Penn State said.
