Core/Foundation Training for Caseworkers: Identifying Child Abuse and Neglect

Find resources that address training curricula and materials on identifying child abuse and neglect, including information on signs and symptoms, medical evaluations, and identifying abuse within different ethnic groups and with children with developmental disabilities. Resources include State and local examples.

Child Abuse Recognition and Reporting: A Self-Study Guide for People Working With Children (PDF - 784 KB)
University of Nevada Cooperative Extension (2009)
Helps people who work with youth gain an understanding of child maltreatment and related implications.

The Role of First Responders in Child Maltreatment Cases: Disaster and Nondisaster Situations

Author(s)	Office on Child Abuse and Neglect, Children's Bureau Cage, Richard.;Salus, Marsha K.
Availability	View Download (PDF - 1,402KB)
Year Published	2010

This manual is for professionals, such as emergency medical technicians, child protective services caseworkers, and law enforcement officers, who have the primary responsibility for the initial on-scene response to situations in which child abuse or neglect may have occurred. The manual describes the various types of child maltreatment and the signs that may indicate that maltreatment has occurred, provides an overview of the initial response and investigation in cases of suspected maltreatment, explains how first responders should prepare for and provide testimony in court for maltreatment cases, and outlines how first responders and their agencies can respond to child maltreatment cases in emergencies and disasters, including how to prepare for such situations.

Unit 9: Child Abuse and Neglect
Office for Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center
Victim Impact: Listen and Learn Curriculum
Discusses the four main types of child maltreatment—physical abuse, child neglect, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse—and ways to identify maltreatment.

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State and local examples

203: Investigative Interviewing in Child Sexual Abuse Cases
Pennsylvania Child Welfare Training Program (2010)
Provides participants with tools to assess safety threats and risk factors and defines the purpose and goals of an investigation into child sexual abuse. Information on how to plan the logistics of an investigation; the stages of the interview and the methods to be used in interviewing alleged victims, nonoffending parents, alleged perpetrators, and collateral contacts; and understanding the dynamics involved in child sexual abuse also are presented.

Child Abuse: Characteristics and Patterns Among Cambodian, Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese American Families: An Empirically Based Curriculum (PDF - 443 KB)
California Social Work Education Center (2006)
Presents information on the issue of child abuse in each ethnic group. Also see the PowerPoint. (PDF - 71 KB)

Child Abuse Identification Toolkit for Professionals
Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (2003)
Aids health-care professionals and educators in the diagnosis and treatment of abused children.

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