Abstract
Across the world, professionals in education, health, and social services hold statutory responsibilities to report suspected child abuse. Yet training is often inconsistent, narrowly legalistic, and insufficiently aligned with trauma-informed, culturally responsive practice. The Post-Secondary Education Opportunities for Child Protection Professionals project addresses these gaps by embedding interdisciplinary, evidence-based training within undergraduate, postgraduate, and continuing professional education. The project used a mixed-methods design, including curriculum reviews across disciplines, surveys of 55 postgraduate social work students, focus groups, and interviews with parents with lived experience of child protection involvement. Findings reveal limited structured instruction, gaps in recognising non-physical abuse, challenges in distinguishing poverty from neglect, and uncertainty about legal obligations. Participants preferred active learning formats, such as case studies, role-play, and scenario-based simulations tailored to various professional contexts. Co-designed with academics, practitioners, students, and parents, the resulting curriculum integrates modules on child development, legal frameworks, civil rights, implicit bias, and secondary traumatic stress. The design process foregrounded participatory approaches, reflecting international movements toward inclusive training development and aligning with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child’s principles on non-discrimination and the child’s best interests. By embedding this training into pre-service education and professional development, the project offers a replicable model for improving statutory reporting practice. It bridges boundaries between higher education, statutory agencies, and community voices, equipping professionals worldwide with the skills, empathy, and contextual understanding needed to safeguard children while fostering trust and equity in service delivery.
Presenters
Amy VargoResearch Assistant Professor, Child and Family Studies, College of Behavioral and Community Studies, University of South Florida, Florida, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
KEYWORDS
Mandated Reporting, Child Safeguarding, Training, Trauma-Informed Practice, Lived Experience
