Since the adoption of CA AB 506 in January 2022, youth service organizations in California have been required to develop and implement child abuse prevention policies, including requirements for mandated reporting training for admins, employees, and full-time volunteers.
California is not the only state with legislation requiring volunteers to complete Mandated Reporter Training. If you are volunteering in any of the following states, you may be required to complete training.
What States Require Volunteers to Report?
Alaska: Volunteers who interact with children in a public or private school setting for more than 4 hours a week must report.
Arkansas: Certain volunteer positions are required to report, including volunteers at schools, community-based victim service or mental health agencies, and more.
California: Volunteers, employees, and admins of youth services organizations are required to take mandated reporter training.
Colorado: Volunteers or a licensed or certified care facility, agency, home, or governing board, including but not limited to home health providers or home placement agencies, are mandated reporters.
Georgia: Any volunteer at a hospital, school, social agency, or similar facility is required to report.
Louisiana: Teaching or child care providers, court-appointed special advocates (CASA), and organizational or youth activity provider volunteers are considered mandatory reporters.
Missouri: Volunteers or personnel of a community service program that offers support services for families in crisis to assist in the delegation of any powers regarding the care and custody of a child are mandatory reporters.
Nevada: Volunteers of schools, agencies, or services that advise persons regarding abuse or neglect of a child and refer them to persons or agencies where their requests and needs can be met or for an approved youth shelter, are considered mandated reporters.
New York: Volunteers in a residential care facility for children that is licensed, certified, or operated by the Office of Children and Family Services are mandatory reporters.
South Carolina: All volunteers employed in a professional capacity are required to report.
South Dakota: Volunteers of a domestic abuse shelter, child advocacy organization, or child welfare service provider are mandatory reporters.
Virginia: Any volunteer with a private sports organization or team or volunteer Boy Scout leader is required to report abuse.
Washington: Volunteers in the ombuds’ office; host home program; and volunteers at for-profit or nonprofit organizations who coach, train, educate, or counsel children or regularly have unsupervised access to children as part of the voluntary service are considered mandated reporters.
West Virginia: Any volunteer of an entity that provides organized children’s activities is required to report.
Do Volunteers Need Mandated Reporter Training?
California legislation states that volunteers at youth service organizations, such as Scouting organizations, are required to take mandated reporter training to better identify and report suspected child abuse.
For volunteers in other states where mandatory reporter training is not a legal requirement, it still may make sense for individuals to take a training course or for organizations to make training available for volunteers. Training can help reporters understand their responsibilities, provide information on how, when, and where to report, and help volunteers better understand the signs of suspected abuse.
Start your volunteer training.
