Each PCSA caseworker hired after January 1, 2007, shall complete at least one hundred two hours of in-service training during the first year of the caseworker's continuous employment as a PCSA caseworker, except that the executive director of the public children services agency may waive the training requirement for a school of social work graduate who participated in the university partnership program described in division (E) of section 5101.141 of the Revised Code. The training shall consist of courses in all of the following:

(A) Recognizing, accepting reports of, and preventing child abuse, neglect, and dependency;

(B) Assessing child safety;

(C) Assessing risks;

(D) Interviewing persons;

(E) Investigating cases;

(F) Intervening;

(G) Providing services to children and their families;

(H) The importance of and need for accurate data;

(I) Preparation for court;

(J) Maintenance of case record information;

(K) The legal duties of PCSA caseworkers to protect the constitutional and statutory rights of children and families from the initial time of contact during investigation through treatmentincluding instruction regarding parents' rights and the limitations that the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution places upon caseworkers and their investigations;

(L) Content on other topics relevant to child abuse, neglect, and dependency, including permanency strategies, concurrent planning, and adoption as an option for unintended pregnancies.

After a PCSA caseworker's first year of continuous employment as a PCSA caseworker, the caseworker annually shall complete thirty-six hours of training in areas relevant to the caseworker's assigned duties.

During the first two years of continuous employment as a PCSA caseworker, each PCSA caseworker shall complete at least twelve hours of training in recognizing the signs of domestic violence and its relationship to child abuse as established in rules the director of job and family services shall adopt pursuant to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code. The twelve hours may be in addition to the training required during the caseworker's first year of employment or part of the training required during the second year of employment.

Effective Date: 09-26-2003; 04-11-2005; 09-21-2006; 2008 HB214 05-14-2008; 2008 HB7 04-07-2009 .