AB 1207: Mandated child abuse reporting: child day care personnel: training.

Under existing law, the California Child Day Care Facilities Act, the State Department of Social Services licenses and regulates child day care facilities, as defined. The act requires that, as a condition of licensure and in addition to any other required training, at least one director or teacher at each day care center, and each family day care home licensee who provides care, have at least 15 hours of health and safety training, covering specified components, including preventative health practices courses, that may include identification and reporting of signs and symptoms of child abuse. A willful or repeated violation of the act is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not to exceed $1,000 or by imprisonment in county jail for a period not to exceed 180 days, or by both the fine and imprisonment, and a serious violation of the act is subject to daily civil penalties, as specified.

The Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act requires a mandated reporter, including a licensee, an administrator, or an employee of a licensed child day care facility, to report whenever he or she, in his or her professional capacity, has knowledge of or observed a child whom the mandated reporter knows or reasonably suspects has been the victim of child abuse or neglect.

This bill would, beginning January 1, 2018, require the department to develop and disseminate information to providers, administrators, and employees of licensed child day care facilities regarding detecting and reporting child abuse, and to provide training including statewide guidance on the responsibilities of those persons as mandated reporters, as provided. Beginning January 1, 2018, the bill would require those persons, as a condition of licensure, to complete that training provided by the department, as specified. Under the bill, a violation of its provisions would not be a misdemeanor or subject to civil fines as a serious violation under the California Child Day Care Facilities Act. Instead, the bill would authorize the department to revoke a facilitys license if the facility fails to correct a violation of the bills provisions within 90 days of receipt of a notice of deficiency from the department, as provided. The bill would make conforming changes.