Shaken Baby Syndrome Prevention

Shaken Baby Syndrome Training Requirements
and Timelines for Certified Providers

Shaken Baby Syndrome (abusive head trauma) is a severe form of brain injury that occurs when an infant or young child is shaken forcibly enough to cause the brain to rebound against his or her skull. At least one baby is shaken every week in Wisconsin. According to the national Shaken Baby Alliance, 25% of shaken babies die. The majority of the survivors have moderate to severe, long-term disabilities. They may suffer from a variety of injuries, including permanent brain damage, blindness, deafness, paralysis, and severe learning disabilities.

Shaken Baby Syndrome is tragic, but it is also preventable. By providing information to parents and other caregivers on the dangers of shaking babies and alternative ways to cope with an infant’s crying, the incidence of Shaken Baby Syndrome can be reduced.

In recognition of the dire consequences of shaking young children and the demonstrated impact of training in reducing the number of children harmed by shaking, Governor Doyle signed the Prevent Violence Against Children Act on March 21, 2006. The Act supports collaboration among the Children’s Trust Fund, the Department of Commerce, the Department of Health and Family Services and the Department of Workforce Development to inform and educate parents and providers of services to young children on appropriate methods of soothing very young children and the grave effects of shaking or throwing an infant. The Children’s Trust Fund will lead the development of educational and training materials and make them available to parents and providers throughout Wisconsin. Hospitals, child care providers, and schools are all required to provide information on the impact of and methods to prevent Shaken Baby Syndrome.

The full text of the Prevent Violence Against Children Act is available at: http://www.legis.state.wi.us/2005/data/acts/05Act165.pdf .

Requirements for Child Care Providers

The Prevent Violence Against Children Act applies to all child care providers who are state licensed, county certified (provisional and regular) or contracted by a school board who are approved to provide care to children birth to age 5. This law mandates providers to receive training in the identification, prevention, and the grave effects of shaking babies. Training must also identify appropriate ways to manage crying, recognizing crying as a natural response for babies, but one that can produce stress for parents and caregivers.

Timeline for Certified Child Care Providers

All child care providers that are currently certified must complete training in Shaken Baby Syndrome by October 5, 2007 or by their re-certification date, which ever comes first.

If you have taken either Introduction to the Child Care Profession (Module A) or Fundamentals of Infant and Toddler Care after July 1, 2005, you have already met this requirement.

If you have not completed one of the above courses after July 1, 2005, you will be required to complete a 60 to 90 minute training course. Contact the certifying agency for further information about the training possibilities.

Substitutes, assistants, helpers and volunteers who provide supervision for children under 5 years in certified homes must complete training on Shaken Baby Syndrome before they are allowed to work with children under age 5. There will be a training video tape available at the Children’s Trust Fund website at http://wctf.state.wi.us that the certified providers can use to train their staff (substitutes, helpers, etc). After viewing the video, the staff member must take a written test to demonstrate understanding of this topic. The test must be signed and kept in file for certification monitoring visits. Some certifying agencies might ask you to send the test to be kept in the provider’s file at the agency.

Training Delivery

Stand-alone training: All certified providers must complete a stand-alone training within the time line above. The training will be offered by either the certifying agency or another agency such as the Child Care Resource and Referral agency or Technical College.

Audio-visual training materials: Certified providers may use these materials to train their staff (substitutes, helpers, assistants, volunteers).

For further information on Shaken Baby Syndrome and updates on informational materials and training, please visit the Children’s Trust Fund website at: http://wctf.state.wi.us.

Click here for upcoming Shaken Baby Syndrome trainings at Family Resources

Family Resources will continue to provide this training on a
quarterly-basis in Juneau, La Crosse, and Monroe Counties.