Recognizing and Reporting
Child Abuse and Neglect
FOR VOLUNTEERS
© Montgomery County Public Schools, 2015. Developed with assistance from
Praesidium, Inc. and other experts from the Montgomery County Department of
Health and Human Services, the Montgomery County Police Department, and the
Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office.
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Enduring Understanding
Montgomery County Public Schools is
committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all students every day. If our children
do not feel safe, they are far less likely to
learn, thrive, and succeed.
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Outcomes
By the end of the session, participants will be
able to…
• Define key terms related to abuse and
neglect;
• Articulate the MCPS obligations for reporting
allegations of child abuse and neglect; and
• Follow mandated reporting procedures and
documentation steps.
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How to Recognize and
Prevent Child Abuse
and Neglect
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What are Abuse and Neglect?
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•
•
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Physical Injury
Mental Injury
Sexual Abuse
Neglect
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August 12, 2015
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Grooming Behaviors
Abusers may groom
students by testing
boundaries:
• Physical
• Emotional
• Behavioral
• Community
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Keeping Everyone Safe
 Follow MCPS policies and regulations
 Keep your boundaries with children
clear.
 Avoid being alone with a student.
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Your
Responsibilities
for Reporting
Abuse and
Neglect
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Required Reporters
Include all MCPS:
• Employees
• Contractors
• Volunteers
under Maryland law and MCPS policies
and regulations.
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Scope of Reporting Responsibilities
All employees, contractors, and
volunteers are personally and
directly required to report any
suspected instance of abuse or
neglect of a child or vulnerable
adult:
• Whether…
• Whenever…
• Regardless…
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Why Report Directly and Immediately?
• Minimizes revictimization of child by streamlining
the investigation;
• Reduces unnecessary trauma that may result from
repetitive, detailed questioning of children;
• Maximizes the possibility of holding offenders
accountable;
• Ensures subject matter experts are leading
investigations; and
• Screens out unfounded cases promptly;
Reminder: When in doubt,
always err on the side of reporting.
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Required Reporting
• Oral Report to Child Protective Services (240-777-4417)
or Adult Protective Services (240-777-3000)
• Notification to Principal/Supervisor
• Principal/supervisor notifies MCPD Special Victims
Investigations Division (sexual abuse)
• Principal maintains confidential log of reported cases
• Written Report (within 48 hours)
• Revised MCPS Form 335-44
• Distribution
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MCPS Form 335-44
• Complete all
information possible.
• Make three copies
and send all four
documents to the
identified offices and
agencies at the
bottom of the form.
• Do not retain any
copies of the
reporting form.
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/childabuseandneglect/
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Your Voice Matters
When in doubt, always err on the side
of reporting.
Your report will be taken
seriously, and you will NOT be
subject to any adverse
action as long as the report
is made in good faith, even
if the allegations prove false.
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Report First!
Do NOT investigate.
Do NOT interrogate.
Let the experts from
CPS, APS, or MCPD
determine what
happened and
conduct the
investigation.
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What Happens After a Report?
County Partner Agency Responses
• CPS/APS follows up
• Screens out or investigates
• Police investigate (Special Victims
Investigations Division)
• State’s Attorney’s Office reviews
• Support for victims (e.g., the Tree House Child
Assessment Center)
CPS and MCPD have the right
to interview the student at school.
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What Would You Do?
Julie comes to school with a bruise on her
cheek and around her upper arms. She tells
you that she fell down the stairs over the
weekend and shows you a large purple bruise
on her stomach. You know that Julie is very
active on the playground and frequently falls
down.
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What Would You Do?
A student, Marissa, told you that she had seen an
inappropriate text message on the phone of one of
her classmates, Jennifer. Marissa asked Jennifer about
the message, and Jennifer confided that she had been
texting back and forth with a staff member, Mr. Smith,
who is 25 years old, for approximately two months.
Marissa said that the
texts started with messages
about schoolwork, moved to
personal exchanges, and now
Mr. Smith has asked Jennifer to
send photos of herself to him.
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What Would You Do?
Jonathan tells you that a female substitute
teacher choked him. You notice what might
be red marks above his shirt collar. Jonathan
also said that there was another student and
a staff member in the hallway at the time.
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Systemwide Staff Expectations
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All staff will complete online and face-to-face training on
Recognizing and Reporting Child Abuse and Neglect by
October 16, 2015
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Each school has a school-based child abuse liaisons who
supports professional learning for staff members related to the
recognition and reporting of child abuse and/or neglect
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The principal/supervisor and school-based child abuse liaisons
with County Partner agencies in responding to allegations of
child abuse and/or neglect after a report has been made; and
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Support the creation of a safe learning environment for
members of the school community.
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Systemwide Volunteer Expectations
2015-2016 School Year
Training Requirements
Three categories of volunteers with direct, unsupervised, uncontrolled access to
students are required to participate in the training on recognizing, reporting and
preventing child abuse and neglect prior to interacting with students.
These volunteers include:
• MCPS athletic program volunteer coaches
• Overnight chaperones for the Outdoor Environmental Education Program
• Overnight chaperones for school-sponsored field trips.
Parent volunteers and community partner volunteers that are directly supervised
by MCPS employees are not required to complete training this school year.
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Systemwide Volunteer Expectations
2015-2016 School Year
Screening Requirements
All volunteers, as outlined in Regulation IRB-RA, Volunteers in Schools, are
required to sign in and out of the building using the Visitor Management System
(VMS) at the beginning and end of each volunteer activity and to wear an
identification name tag at all times.
• Two categories of volunteers are required to complete a criminal background
check:
• MCPS athletic program volunteer coaches must continue to have a
criminal background check that includes fingerprinting on file with the
school prior to working with students.
• Beginning in January 2016, all Outdoor Environmental Education Program
overnight chaperones are required to complete a fingerprinting
background check prior to service in the program.
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August 12, 2015
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Office of Community
Engagement and Partnerships
301-279-3100
Denise Bracalilly Stultz
Kimberly Bloch-Rincan
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