Mandatory Reporter Training - Iowa Foster and Adoptive Parent Association

Foster parents are mandatory reporters of child abuse. As mandatory reporters, foster parents are required to take Mandatory Child Abuse Reporter Training. Two hours of Mandatory Child Abuse Reporter Training must be taken within six months of initial licensing and every five years thereafter.

IFAPA offers Mandatory Child Abuse Reporter Training three times a year. This training is offered across the state via ICN in June and November. The training is also offered at our annual conference in March. IFAPA’s Mandatory Child Abuse Reporter Training is an approved curriculum by the Iowa Department of Public Health and therefore qualifies towards your licensing requirements. Each class is three hours long and worth three hours of foster parent credit.

Opportunities for Mandatory Child Abuse Reporter Training:

OPTION 1:

Support Groups Trainings - COST: FREE

Support groups may also offer the approved Mandatory Child Abuse Reporter Training class. Visit the Other Trainings section of our website to see if there is a class being offered by your local support group.

OPTION 2:

Online Opportunity - COST: $16.95 PER PERSON

The CE Solutions Group offers 2.5 hours of Mandatory Child Abuse Reporter Training on their website. CE Solutions Group offers three different Mandatory Reporter Classes online, but only one is approved for foster parents to take. The only class that foster parents can receive credit for is the course titled Child Abuse for IA Mandatory Reporters. Even though this class is worth 2.5 hours of credit, foster parents will only receive 2 hours of foster parent credit. There is a $16.95 fee per person to take this course online.

HOW TO TAKE THE ONLINE MANDATORY CHILD ABUSE REPORTER CLASS
Step 1:	Visit www.healthceonline.com
Step 2:	Click on the green button titled: *Sign Up Now*
Step 3:	Complete the User Registration form. On this form you will be asked to give an e-mail address and make your own password. It will ask for your license number, license state and license expiration date. This test is also for nurse professionals and that is why a license number is requested. Foster parents can put a 0 (zero) in the license number field, select Iowa for the license state and select any random date in the license expiration date field.
Step 4:	Select the program you would like to take: Child Abuse for IA Mandatory Reporters. PLEASE NOTE: The CE Solutions Group website offers three different Mandatory Reporter Classes online, but only one is approved for foster parents to take. The only class that foster parents can receive credit for is the course titled Child Abuse for IA Mandatory Reporters.
Step 5:	Once you have selected the appropriate course, you will be asked to enter your credit card information to pay for the course.
Step 6:	Begin the Child Abuse for IA Mandatory Reporters course. There are four sections of reading materials that you will need to read. It is highly recommended that you print these sections to keep and use to refer back to while taking the required test.
Step 7:	Take required test and print off training certificate. You must score 75% or higher on your test in order to pass. If you pass the test, you will be able to print off your own Mandatory Reporter Training certificate. If you do not pass the test the first time, you can retake the test as many times as you need without being charged additional fees. If you do not have a printer or lose your certificate, make sure your write down which e-mail address and password to used to register, so you can log in at a later date to print off a training certificate.
Questions: If you have additional questions, please contact CE Solutions Group at 866-650-3400 or info@cesolutionsgroup.com

Frequently Asked Questions:

#1 - If I cannot attend IFAPA’s Mandatory Child Abuse Reporter Training, where else can I find this class?

There is no centralized list of when or where this course is being offered around the state. Sometimes local community colleges, hospitals, DHS or Area Education Agencies offer this course. Just make sure the course being offered is an “approved curriculum” by the Iowa Department of Public Health. (see question #4 for more on this).

#2 - If a class is titled Mandatory Child Abuse and Adult Dependent Abuse Reporter Training, does that count toward my training requirement?

Not necessarily. Foster parent licensure requires that you have 2 hours of CHILD related content, and some classes that offer a mix of child/adult dependent only offer 1 hour of child related content (and 1 hour of adult dependent content), and therefore, would NOT qualify to meet your foster parent training requirements. If the title says “Mandatory CHILD ABUSE Reporter Training,” and is at least 2 hours long, it will meet the requirements for your licensure. (note – the course must be an approved curriculum by the Iowa Department of Public Health. See question #4 below for more on this).

#3 - Can I take this course online to meet my licensure requirements?

Yes, you can take this course online and meet your licensure requirements, however, it must be an approved curriculum by the Iowa Department of Public Health, and offering 2 hours of credit specific to CHILD abuse reporting.
(See question #4 for more info).

#4 - How do I know if a class is “an approved curriculum” by the Iowa Department of Public Health?

The provider of the training should know this, when you register for the training. You can also check for the list of approved curriculum on the website of the Iowa Department of Public Health. Please log onto their website at www.idph.state.ia.us. Once there, click on “A-Z services” and then click on “Abuse Education Review Panel.” As you scroll down on this page, there is a link for “Approved Curricula” and this link specifies whether a course is Mandatory Child Abuse Reporter Training, or Mandatory Child/Dependent Adult Abuse Training, or Mandatory Adult Dependent Abuse Training. And remember, the only training you can take toward licensure requirements is a training that is 2 hours of Child Abuse content.

Please Note: In the past IFAPA had links on the website to other mandatory abuse trainings, some of which focused on both Child Abuse and Adult Dependent Abuse; which does not qualify toward your licensing standards. We apologize for this error and have corrected our links.