PFSA boosts number of 'mandated reporters' trained to spot child abuse

HARRISBURG, Pa., Oct. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania Family Support Alliance (PFSA) provided training to 9,400 mandated reporters in how to recognize and report child abuse and neglect during its 2011-12 program year, an increase of 16 percent over the previous year.

Mandated reporters are individuals who come into contact with children by virtue of their occupations, such as police officers, teachers, and doctors, and are legally required to report suspected child abuse.

The nonprofit agency also succeeded in its legislative effort during the past year on behalf of Senate Bill 449, which became law and now requires that teachers and other school personnel in Pennsylvania undergo training so they know how to recognize and report child abuse.

"The Sandusky scandal"—the conviction of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky on 45 counts of child sexual abuse—"flipped a switch for our child welfare system in this past year and, hopefully, for each citizen in Pennsylvania," PFSA Board President Ruth Williams and Executive Director Angela Liddle said in the agency's annual report.

PFSA went into 13 communities in 2011-12 as the exclusive Pennsylvania sponsor of The Front Porch Project®, a program that provides hands-on training to help people at the neighborhood level learn concrete skills to prevent and deal with child abuse.

"The challenges of dealing with child abuse have never been greater, in that there were more than 24,300 reports of suspected abuse in our state last year, but we've also seen awareness increase dramatically, and people throughout Pennsylvania seem more receptive than ever before to stepping up and doing what's necessary to put a stop to abuse," Liddle said.

"We've definitely seen some momentum at the legislative level and we want to keep that going and build on it in the coming year. There's still much to be done in the realm of training and education and we're going to keep insisting that everybody has a responsibility to do what's right to protect Pennsylvania's children."

PFSA also reached out to more than 6,000 families across Pennsylvania in the past year through its partnership with more than 50 affiliate agencies to provide information, educational materials, and programs that teach and support good parenting practices.

Visit the PFSA website at www.pa-fsa.org

SOURCE PA Family Support Alliance

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