In 2023, the OCA created both a mandated reporter general training relevant to all mandated reporters in the Commonwealth and an educator-specific module that delves into the issues particularly relevant to Massachusetts’ K-12 educators. The training was launched in August 2023, in time for the beginning of the school year.
- The training is free, online, and on-demand.
- The training is accompanied by an extensive resource library available online at any time and without the prerequisite of taking the training.
- The general training is also available in Spanish.
Click here to access the training.
The goals of a profession-specific mandated reporter training are to use specialized-sector knowledge to assist mandated reporters in correctly identifying instances of abuse and/or neglect, to differentiate neglect and poverty, to consider the role bias and cultural considerations play in evaluating whether to make a report, and to gain structured decision-making skills that will prevent potential over-reporting of families to the DCF system.
These trainings are born out of previous OCA work on the Mandated Report Commission.