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Shaken Baby Syndrome Training
Requirements
and Timelines for Certified Providers
Requirements
Timeline
Trainings
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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