Training for Community Partners: Schools

As mandatory reporters, it is important that teachers and other school personnel are aware of the signs and symptoms of child abuse and neglect. They may also need specialized training to understand the needs of children involved with the child welfare system. The following resources address training curricula and materials to help school professionals better understand the child welfare system and the overlapping issues affecting each system.

Children Exposed to Domestic Violence: A Teacher's Handbook to Increase Understanding and Improve Community Responses (PDF - 209 KB)
Baker, Jaffe, Ashbourne, & Carter (2002)
Reviews the teacher's role in identifying and supporting children exposed to domestic violence and outlines suggestions for school-based violence prevention programs that raise awareness and create a culture of safety within the school.

Endless Dreams: A Video and Curriculum to Educate Teachers About Foster Care
Casey Family Programs (2005)
View Abstract
Discusses the challenges foster children face and the potential of schools to support and enrich the lives of youth in care.

Helping Traumatized Children Learn: Supportive School Environments for Children Traumatized by Family Violence (PDF - 1,452 KB)
Massachusetts Advocates for Children (2005)
Helps teachers, education administrators, and policymakers better understand the trauma children experience when exposed to domestic violence and proposes an educational and policy agenda that will enable schools to become supportive environments for traumatized children.

How Schools Can Help Students Recover From Traumatic Experiences: A Toolkit for Supporting Long Term Recovery (PDF - 385 KB)
Jaycox, Morse, Tanielian, & Stein
Assists schools in helping students recover from traumatic experiences such as natural disasters, exposure to violence, abuse or assault, terrorist incidents, and war and refugee experiences. The toolkit offers a compendium of trauma recovery programs classified by type of trauma.

Support for Students Exposed to Trauma: The SSET Program: Group Leader Training Manual, Lesson Plans and Lesson Materials, and Worksheets
Jaycox, Langley, & Dean (2009)
Describes a program to be implemented by teachers or school counselors to reduce distress resulting from exposure to trauma. The manual provides detailed information on selecting student participants, scheduling lessons, ensuring confidentiality, coordinating with clinical backup, managing difficult situations and issues, and conducting group meetings.

Teacher Education: Preparing Pre-Service Teachers to Help Children Who Live with Violence
Thompson & Smith-D'Arezzo
Family Violence and Sexual Assault Bulletin, 20, 2004
View Abstract
Describes how a university-teacher education program strengthened its curriculum to help preservice teachers learn how to work effectively with children and families who live with violence.

Child Welfare Information Gateway encourages organizations to submit resources from their workforce or training efforts for inclusion in our library. Send information to library@childwelfare.gov.