Project Design and Implementation
Project Design and Implementation
CSF will establish a standardized, evidence-informed training framework to improve mandated reporting accuracy and consistency across child-serving sectors. The project emphasizes measurable outcomes, scenario-based learning, and tools that improve real-world reporting. When professionals receive concise, interactive instruction supported by reflection prompts and documentation aids, three shifts occur:
The public and front-line professionals more readily recognize reportable harm;
Reporting becomes a shared civic responsibility rather than a solely individual burden; and
Bias and subjectivity decrease as reporters reference common indicators and documentation practices.
These shifts improve report quality, timeliness, and interagency coordination while minimizing unnecessary interventions. Implementation proceeds across three award years with defined activities, roles, beneficiaries, deliverables, and performance measures aligned to OJJDP priorities.
Priority Consideration
CSF's proposed project is designed to advance OJP’s funding priorities to promote public safety, strengthen law enforcement, and protect children from violence and exploitation. CSF respectfully requests priority consideration under all three OJP priority areas listed above.
Protecting American Children
Through an evidence-informed multimedia training program, the project will standardize mandated reporter education across the United States. Interactive modules and real-world scenarios will teach professionals how to recognize, document, and report child abuse and neglect accurately. This consistency will lead to faster and more appropriate interventions, enabling child protection agencies to act on clear, complete, and credible information that supports early safety decisions.
Combating Violent Crime
The training will integrate case studies and scenario-based simulations to strengthen professionals’ ability to identify patterns of physical and sexual violence against children. By improving how mandated reporters detect and communicate high-risk situations, the project will support earlier cross-agency interventions that prevent escalation. These efforts will enhance coordination among service providers and law enforcement, improving the reliability of the information used to prevent and prosecute violent crimes against minors.
Supporting Law Enforcement Operations
The project will embed child welfare principles within law enforcement continuing education and academy partnerships, closing long-standing communication gaps between agencies. Officers will learn how to align their field assessments with child welfare standards and reporting protocols, particularly in domestic violence and high-risk family situations. These improvements will lead to stronger case documentation, higher-quality evidence, and more effective investigative and prosecutorial outcomes.
Launching in Oklahoma
CSF will launch in Oklahoma, a state with one of the nation’s highest confirmed rates of child abuse and neglect. In 2022, approximately 14.2 of every 1,000 children in Oklahoma were confirmed victims of maltreatment—nearly double the U.S. average of 7.7 per 1,000¹⁷. Oklahoma ranks 45th out of 50 states in child maltreatment incidence, with only a few states reporting higher rates¹⁷.
Oklahoma’s child protection infrastructure provides a unique pilot environment. The state operates a centralized hotline through which reports are submitted via phone, fax, or email, allowing real-time routing to investigators. However, this open-format submission process has led to inconsistent documentation and incomplete reports. Combined with high maltreatment prevalence and strong agency collaboration, Oklahoma’s structure offers an ideal setting to pilot CSF’s model for improving reporting accuracy and training access.
By addressing systemic reporting gaps and training inconsistencies at the state level, CSF will test a replicable model for improving child safety nationwide. Lessons learned through this pilot will inform the creation of a national training standard and a digital platform that can be adapted by other states to strengthen child protection systems¹⁸.
Curriculum and Toolkit Integration
The training will be delivered through a modular, multimedia framework with embedded reflection and applied documentation practice.
Curriculum components include:
Interactive case studies simulating real disclosures and response scenarios.
Embedded reflection prompts reinforcing decision-making and ethical standards.
Downloadable learner toolkits—including the Child Safety Workbook and Disclosure Toolkit—that allow mandated reporters to document observed concerns, track behavioral patterns, and safely record disclosures.
These tools anchor learning in practical application:
The Child Safety Workbook enables pattern tracking over time, supporting investigators who rely on longitudinal safety information.
The Disclosure Toolkit provides structured guidance for handling youth disclosures safely and lawfully.
Both resources will be digitally accessible, printable, and adaptable for partner institutions.
All materials will be designed for both classroom and self-paced online learning, ensuring accessibility across devices and bandwidth levels.
Training Design and Delivery
Training modules follow a standardized sequence aligned to the OJJDP framework:
Orientation and Legal Foundations – Civil-rights principles, mandatory-reporting laws, and professional obligations.
Identifying and Documenting Maltreatment – Behavioral and situational indicators; trauma-informed approaches; record-keeping accuracy.
Responding and Reporting – Navigating reporting channels, confidentiality, and interagency coordination.
Assessment and Feedback – Pre- and post-assessments, scenario evaluations, and certificate generation.
Modules will be hosted on a secure online platform supporting enrollment, tracking, completion data, and assessments. A centralized dashboard will capture analytics for state and federal reporting.
Project Timeline
A detailed project timeline and logic model are included in Appendix X: Implementation Plan and Performance Matrix.
Year 1 — Establish & Develop (Months 1–12)
Build program infrastructure, produce the training framework and materials, and prepare for statewide deployment in Oklahoma.
Core activities
Project staffing & governance. Hire a Managing Director; formalize a governance structure with the CSF Board; confirm advisory partners.
Needs analysis. Conduct a targeted review of mandated-reporter training needs and documentation gaps across child-serving sectors; synthesize findings to guide content and integration.
Curriculum & assessments. Develop a standardized training framework with modular content (video case studies, reflection prompts, and checklists) plus pre/post assessments and scenario scoring guides.
Learner toolkits & workbooks. Produce reproducible print-ready toolkits that accompany each module (e.g., indicators quick-cards, documentation templates, supervisor debrief guides).
Platform setup. Configure a secure online learning environment (e.g., Circle-hosted community plus learning delivery tools) with user management, progress tracking, and reporting dashboards.
Data system & governance. Stand up a centralized data pipeline to capture registrations, completions, assessment scores, feedback, and partner MOUs; adopt a data-quality plan and reporting cadence.
Readiness testing. Pilot modules with small cohorts; finalize workflows (enrollment, help desk, certificate issuance); complete technical and accessibility checks customary for online learning.
Beneficiaries
Front-line mandated reporters and supervisors in education, healthcare, social services, and law enforcement; postsecondary partners supporting workforce development.
Key Personnel
Managing Director (project lead), Curriculum Lead (content quality), Data & Evaluation Lead (measurement and reporting), Platform/Production partners (multimedia and delivery), CSF Board/Advisors (governance).
Deliverables/Outputs (Year 1)
Finalized training framework and assessment instruments.
Print-ready learner toolkits/workbooks.
Operational online environment with enrollment, tracking, and certificates.
Data governance plan; first semi-annual performance summary to OJJDP.
Performance Measurement (Year 1)
Readiness indicators: successful sandbox/pilot runs; % modules cleared for production; mean item reliability on assessments; data completeness ≥95% across core fields.
Year 2 — Implement & Measure (Months 13–24)
Deliver the Oklahoma pilot at scale, measure learning outcomes, and secure institutional adoption.
Launching in Oklahoma
CSF will launch its pilot in Oklahoma, one of the states with the nation’s highest confirmed child abuse and neglect rates—14.2 per 1,000 children, nearly double the U.S. average of 7.7 per 1,000 (2022).17, 18 Oklahoma’s centralized hotline, strong interagency coordination, and established postsecondary partnerships provide an ideal environment for testing scalable mandated-reporter training. By addressing the state’s systemic gaps in training, reporting consistency, and documentation quality, CSF aims to demonstrate a replicable framework that improves mandated-reporting accuracy and interagency collaboration. Lessons from this pilot will guide development of a national training model adaptable across other states.
Core activities
Statewide launch. Train Oklahoma’s mandated reporters across priority sectors (education, healthcare, social services, law enforcement) with coordinated outreach and partner support.
Institutional partnerships. Execute MOUs with at least nine Oklahoma institutions (including ≥3 major hospitals, multiple law-enforcement agencies, and at least one university/CAST-program partner) to integrate training into staff onboarding or continuing education.
Performance measurement. Track registrations, completions, and pre/post scores; conduct quarterly data reviews; gather user feedback to refine modules and toolkits.
Content refinement. Update scenarios and guidance based on outcome data and partner input; address barriers to completion; enhance documentation templates where needed.
Reporting. Provide semi-annual and annual summaries to OJJDP; share progress with partners.
Beneficiaries
Oklahoma mandated reporters and participating institutions; state and local partners who adopt the framework for ongoing staff development.
Deliverables/outputs (Year 2)
Executed MOUs with priority institutions; integration plans for internal rollouts.
Performance dashboards and annual impact summary (registrations, completions, assessment shifts, user feedback).
Revised modules/toolkits reflecting pilot findings.
Performance targets (Year 2)
Training reach: ≥10% of Oklahoma’s estimated 142,000 mandated reporters complete the course.
Learning improvement: ≥80% average post-assessment score across participants and demonstrated pre/post gain.
Institutional adoption: At least nine institutions implementing training within internal systems.
Year 3 — National Expansion & Sustainability (Months 25–36)
Purpose: Extend access, disseminate lessons learned, and establish long-term sustainability mechanisms.
Core activities
National access. Offer training to additional states and national professional networks, leveraging lessons from Oklahoma implementation.
Dissemination. Publish a National Training Impact Report synthesizing three-year data (reach, outcomes, adoption, and implementation lessons); conduct webinars and conference presentations.
Partnership integration. Execute ≥20 formal partnerships with national or state-level bodies (e.g., university systems, hospital networks, academies) to embed training in licensure/continuing-education pathways.
Sustainability planning. Adopt a board-approved plan for post-award continuation (e.g., diversified funding, fee-for-service for CEU processing, institutional subscriptions, philanthropic match).
Final reporting. Submit required programmatic and financial close-out materials to OJJDP.
Beneficiaries
National mandated-reporter workforce; partner institutions integrating training into ongoing education and policy.
Deliverables/outputs (Year 3)
National Training Impact Report and replication toolkit.
Executed national/state partnerships with integration agreements.
Sustainability and funding plan approved by CSF’s Board.
Performance targets (Year 3)
National training reach: ≥50,000 participants trained nationwide.
Knowledge improvement: ≥85% of participants demonstrate improved understanding; national average post-assessment ≥80%.
Institutional integration: ≥20 partnerships with formal integration into ongoing education.
Methods and Processes (cross-cutting)
Instructional design. Short video case studies, decision points, and reflection prompts anchored to practical documentation steps; each module ends with scenario-based checks for understanding.
Delivery model. Online, self-paced course delivery supported by a moderated learning community (via Circle-hosted environment) for peer discussion, announcements, and resource distribution; printable toolkits ensure access for low-bandwidth contexts.
Data and quality. Centralized dashboards monitor enrollments, completions, time-to-completion, assessment deltas, and satisfaction; quarterly fidelity reviews guide continuous improvement.
Equity and access. Plain-language materials, multiple formats (video, transcripts, printable tools), and supervisor guides to support varied learning needs and schedules.
Risk Management and Mitigation
Low completion or uptake: Deploy targeted outreach through institutional partners; send automated nudges; offer micro-credentials and CEU processing where available.
Technical barriers: Provide help-desk support and printable alternatives; maintain redundancies for video hosting and certificates.
Data quality gaps: Enforce required fields and automated validation; conduct quarterly audits; remediate with partners.
Staffing continuity: Cross-train core roles; maintain documented SOPs; utilize contracted surge capacity for production cycles.
Reporting and Compliance
CSF will submit required semi-annual/annual performance reports and financial reports; maintain participant privacy and data security; and retain documentation of curricula, assessments, MOUs, and dissemination products for federal review.
Summary Outcome by Award End
By the end of Year 3, CSF will have: (1) produced and refined a practical mandated-reporter training package with reproducible toolkits; (2) validated outcomes at state scale in Oklahoma; (3) expanded national access with measurable learning improvements; and (4) secured institutional partnerships and a sustainability plan to support continued delivery beyond the grant period.
References
America’s Health Rankings. (2023). Child maltreatment measure: Oklahoma. United Health Foundation. https://www.americashealthrankings.org/explore/measure/child_maltreatment/OK
Oklahoma Watch. (2023). First Watch: Stuff you should know. https://oklahomawatch.org/newsletter/first-watch-stuff-you-should-know-124/
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