Updated Training Requirement for Certain Professions

(Dec. 17, 2024) The NYS Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) has updated the NYS Mandated Identification and Reporting of Child Abuse and Maltreatment/Neglect coursework, required for certain professionals including, but not limited to, registered nurses, physicians, and social workers.

The additional training includes protocols to reduce implicit bias in decision-making processes, strategies for identifying adverse childhood experiences, and guidelines to assist in recognizing signs of abuse or maltreatment.

Approved training providers can be found here. This law requires mandated professionals, including those who have previously undergone the current training, to complete the updated curriculum by April 1, 2025. If training is not completed by that date, the updated coursework must be finished before the Department’s issuance of a license, permit, or registration to practice. Details on how a licensee may request an exemption from the training, depending on the nature of their practice, can be found here.

Documentation of having completed the required coursework on identification and reporting of child abuse and maltreatment must be provided to obtain a license or permit to practice. Providers must use this link to upload the Certificate of Completion, unless your chosen training provider sends verification directly to the NYS Education Department.

Contact: Diane Darbyshire, ddarbyshire@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8828