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Task Force Helping to Protect Children in Gratiot County
In August of 2022, Child Advocacy and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) developed the Gratiot County Mandated Reporter Task Force. This was in response to an increase in child abuse allegations in our county since the COVID-19 Pandemic. Members of the Task Force offer the MDHHS Mandated Reporter Training to the community at no cost. This hour-long training is facilitated by both a local MDHHS staff in partnership with a Child Advocacy staff. It provides individuals with the necessary tools to not only recognize child abuse and neglect, but help them to build skills to appropriately respond to a child reporting abuse, and gain confidence with the reporting process. Mandated reporters are an essential part of the child protection system because they have an enhanced capacity, through their expertise and direct contact with children, to identify suspected child abuse and neglect.
The Mandated Reporter Training can be customized for specific organizations and can be provided to anyone in the community interested in learning more about protecting children, not only mandated reporters. Within the first 6 months of implementation, the Task Force has conducted 10 different trainings serving more than 200 participants including teachers, faith-based organization staff, mental health professionals, nursing and education students, and more.
The Task Force will have their next training opportunity on Thursday, March 2, 2023 from 11:30-1:00pm at Child Advocacy. The training will be offered in a Lunch and Learn format which is open to the public. To register, click on the following link: https://tinyurl.com/yda4ss5h Additionally, if you would like to request a customized Mandated Reporter Training that could be brought to your organization/agency, please email morgan@childadvocacy.net.
Jennifer Stambaugh
CAC Victim Advocate
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