2010 Pennsylvania Code
Title 23 - DOMESTIC RELATIONS
Chapter 63 - Child Protective Services
6383 - Education and training.

     § 6383.  Education and training.
        (a)  Duties of department and county agencies.--The
     department and each county agency, both jointly and
     individually, shall conduct a continuing publicity and education
     program for the citizens of this Commonwealth aimed at the
     prevention of child abuse and child neglect, including the
     prevention of newborn abandonment, the identification of abused
     and neglected children and the provision of necessary
     ameliorative services to abused and neglected children and their
     families. The department and each county agency shall conduct an
     ongoing training and education program for local staff, persons
     required to make reports and other appropriate persons in order
     to familiarize those persons with the reporting and
     investigative procedures for cases of suspected child abuse and
     the rehabilitative services that are available to children and
     families. In addition, the department shall, by regulation,
     establish a program of training and certification for persons
     classified as protective services workers. The regulations shall
     provide for the grandfathering of all current permanent
     protective services workers as certified protective services
     workers. Upon request by the county agency and approval of the
     department, the agency may conduct the training of the county's
     protective services workers.
        (a.1)  Study by department.--The department shall conduct a
     study to determine the extent of the reporting of suspected
     child abuse in this Commonwealth where the reports upon
     investigation are determined to be unfounded and to be knowingly
     false and maliciously reported or it is believed that a minor
     was persuaded to make or substantiate a false and malicious
     report. The department shall submit the report to the Governor,
     General Assembly and Attorney General no later than June 1,
     1996. The report shall include the department's findings and
     recommendations on how to reduce the incidence of knowingly
     false and malicious reporting.
        (b)  Duties of Department of State.--
            (1)  The Department of State shall make training and
        educational programs and materials available for all
        professional licensing boards whose licensees are charged
        with responsibilities for reporting child abuse under this
        chapter with a program of distributing educational materials
        to all licensees.
            (2)  Each licensing board with jurisdiction over
        professional licensees identified as mandated reporters under
        this chapter shall promulgate regulations within one year of
        the effective date of this subsection on the responsibilities
        of mandated reporters. These regulations shall clarify that
        the provisions of this chapter take precedence over any
        professional standard that might otherwise apply in order to
        protect children from abuse.
     (Dec. 16, 1994, P.L.1292, No.151; Dec. 9, 2002, P.L.1549,
     No.201, eff. 60 days)

        2002 Amendment.  Act 201 amended subsec. (a).
        Cross References.  Section 6383 is referred to in section
     6509 of this title.