In October 2020, CALCASA’s RPE and SD teams hosted and facilitated yet another web serieson Tools and Best Practices for Disclosures: Supporting Youth in Online Prevention Programs. This web series, along with an accompanying toolkit, was developed in response to a stated need from prevention programs in California who had questions about responding to disclosures from youth in a virtual landscape. Preventionists were wondering how digital spaces impacted mandated reporting requirements and how to ensure that programs remained trauma-sensitive during the pandemic and civil rights uprising. Below are some reflections on the key points from this three-part web series.

  • Mandated reporting requirements still apply in digital spaces. Agencies should consider updating their Mandated Reporting policies to address situations that commonly occur online.
  • Youth, especially those who are marginalized, are struggling with isolation. Sometimes fostering connection is more important than delivering content.
  • Relationship building in prevention programs suffer from the lack of in-person connection. Adapting prevention programs during this time is more complex than simply adapting one’s curriculum to be delivered on Zoom.

To read comprehensive strategies about adapting prevention programs to an online format and the legal landscape of mandated reporting, view the toolkit included below. To watch the recordings of all three sessions of Tools and Best Practices for Disclosures, click HERE.

Download the toolkit here –> [Download not found]