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ERIC Number: EJ1047432
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014
Pages: 11
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Keeping Children Safe: Afterschool Staff and Mandated Child Maltreatment Reporting
Gandarilla, Maria; O'Donnell, Julie
Afterschool Matters, n20 p28-38 Fall 2014
With 8.4 million children in the U.S. spending an average of eight hours a week in afterschool programs, afterschool providers are an important part of the network of caring adults who can help to keep children safe. In addition, afterschool staff are "mandated reporters." Whether or not the laws specifically mention afterschool staff, every state requires people whose employment puts them in contact with children to report suspected child abuse or neglect (Child Welfare Information Gateway, 2010). The close relationships that staff, children, and families often form in afterschool programs make it quite possible that children will disclose maltreatment or that staff will identify maltreatment warning signs. However, it is not clear that afterschool staff understand their responsibility to report this information to authorities. To begin to understand reporting of suspected child maltreatment by afterschool staff, the authors surveyed staff in a large California afterschool program about their knowledge of child maltreatment and mandated reporting. They also asked about their training in this area and about the factors that might influence their decision to report suspected abuse or neglect. The results suggest that further training may be necessary to help afterschool providers understand their responsibility to report and the process of making a report.
National Institute on Out-of-School Time. Wellesley Centers for Women, 106 Central Street, Wellesley, MA 02481. Tel: 781-283-2547; Fax: 781-283-3657; e-mail: niost@wellesley.edu; Web site: http://www.niost.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: California
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A