Child Abuse Prevention & Reporting

Mandatory Training for PPS Volunteers

PPS is Committed to the Safety of Students

School employees are required to take annual child abuse prevention training (ORS 339.400). As a volunteer, you should report suspected incidents of child abuse to the school principal.

Oregon Child Abuse Reporting Law (ORS 419B.005 to 419B.05D):

All adults have the responsibility to report suspected child abuse.
All school district employees are mandatory reporters, and must report if they suspect child abuse or neglect.

Types of Child Abuse

Neglect

Neglect is the most common type of abuse.
Children are considered neglected whenever their basic needs are not met.
Neglect is the chronic or repeated failure to provide children with: food, clothing, shelter, medical care, attention to physical hygiene, social and educational opportunities and adequate supervision.
A child must never be left in a position of authority or in situations that they cannot handle, depending on the child’s maturity.

Emotional Abuse/Mental Injury

Emotional abuse/mental injury is the chronic act or omission that interferes with a child’s psychological/social development. It can be difficult to detect.
Emotional abuse by a caregiver refers to a PATTERN of behavior that may include the following:
- Ridicule (making fun of) or rejection of a child. Berating, telling the child that they are worthless, unwanted and/or unloved.
- Terrorizing a child by threatening him or her directly, or a child’s family members, loved ones, possessions or pets.
- Ignoring or refusing to interact with the child.
- Socially isolating the child so that he or she cannot develop other relationships.

Threat of Harm

Threat of Harm is defined as, “all actions, statements, written or non-verbal messages conveying threats of physical or mental injury which are serious enough to unsettle the child’s mind. It includes: expressions of intent to inflict pain, injury, or punishment on the child.”
Threat of Harm exists whenever a child’s health or welfare is endangered by a caregiver.
Threat of Harm represented 40.7% of all reported cases of child abuse in Oregon. (DHS, 2016 Child Welfare Data Book, April 2017)

Abuse of Children with Disabilities

Children with disabilities are at a higher risk of abuse than children without disabilities. Children with disabilities may have difficulty communicating clearly and the abuser might think that the child won’t tell anyone what has happened or that the child won’t be believed. Some children with disabilities require adults to provide personal hygiene care for them, making it less obvious if sexual abuse is occurring. There may be a lack of education for children with disabilities about healthy sexuality, body boundaries and self-protection mechanisms.

PPS Employees are Mandatory Reporters

Any person may report incidents or suspected child abuse or neglect. School personnel, day-care providers, social workers, health care workers, and law enforcement officers are all designated as mandatory reporters in Oregon. Oregon state law requires mandatory reporters to notify the Department of Human Services (DHS) or a local law enforcement agency of incidents or suspected child abuse.

If you See Something, Say Something

A volunteer who observes signs, or becomes aware of potential child abuse should immediately report it to the school principal. Under no circumstances should anyone contact a student’s parent/guardian about a child abuse report. Volunteers must keep all information about students strictly confidential.

Other Resources:

Multnomah County Child Abuse and Neglect Hotline: 503-731-3100.
SafeOregon to anonymously report a school safety threat, such as a weapon or threat of violence at school: 844-472-3367.

Volunteer Training Resources

Child Abuse & Adult Sexual Misconduct Slideshow:

Volunteer Child Abuse ASM Slideshow

Child Abuse & Adult Sexual Misconduct Slideshow PDFs:

Mandatory Volunteer Training (English)
Español | Tiếng Việt | 中文 | Русский | Soomaali

Feedback

If you wish to provide feedback on this training or your experiences as a volunteer, please email volunteer@pps.net.