Child Abuse Reporting CE for Nurses by State (2026)

Pennsylvania, New York, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky and Delaware have child abuse training rules for nurses. Pennsylvania requires 2 approved hours every renewal. New York mandated reporters must complete the updated curriculum by November 17, 2026. Iowa's mandatory reporter course lasts 3 years, and Illinois requires mandated reporter training at least every 6 years.

Last verified 2026-10-17 against the official sources linked in each row · Spot an error?

Key facts

Pennsylvania 2 hours every biennial renewal; 3 hours for initial licensure
New York updated mandated reporter curriculum due Nov 17, 2026
Iowa 2-contact-hour mandatory reporter course, good for 3 years
Illinois mandated reporter training at least every 6 years for nurses who work with children
Kentucky one-time 1.5 hours of pediatric abusive head trauma (some nurses)
Delaware at least 1 hour on abuse of vulnerable persons or reporting obligations, each renewal

Which states require child abuse training for nurses?

Six states we track set a child abuse training rule for nurses: Pennsylvania, New York, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky and Delaware. Pennsylvania and Delaware tie it to every renewal, Iowa and Illinois to a multi-year cycle, and Kentucky's pediatric abusive head trauma course is one-time. New York's updated curriculum is due November 17, 2026.

State	Requirement (board's name)	Who	Hours	How often	Counts toward total?	Rule + source
Delaware	Recognizing abuse of vulnerable persons, or reporting obligations including child abuse or neglect	RNs and LPNs	At least 1 hour	Each renewal period	Yes, part of the renewal CE	Board Rules 9.2.1.1.1 · official source
Illinois	Mandated reporter training	Nurses who work with children	Hours not set on the IDFPR FAQ	At least every 6 years; attest at each renewal	Can count toward required CE (since Jan 1, 2021)	325 ILCS 5/4 (IDFPR RN CE FAQ) · official source
Iowa	Mandatory reporter course: child and/or dependent adult abuse	Nurses who care for children and/or dependent adults (both courses if both)	2 contact hours per course	Iowa HHS certificate lasts 3 years (IDPH certificate before July 1, 2019: 5 years); documentation due at renewal	Counts as 2 contact hours of CE	Iowa DIAL mandatory reporter course page · official source
Kentucky	Pediatric abusive head trauma	Nurses who completed a nursing program outside Kentucky, or a Kentucky program before December 2011	1.5 contact hours	One time, within 3 years of initial licensure	Not stated	KRS 314.073(6); 201 KAR 20:215 · official source
New York	Child abuse identification and reporting (updated curriculum)	Mandated reporters, including RNs	NYSED-approved course; a 15-minute addendum if you trained between Nov 1, 2022 and Aug 31, 2025	Updated training due by Nov 17, 2026	New York has no general CE-hour total for RNs	Social Services Law §413 (Ch. 25, Laws of 2024) · official source
Pennsylvania	Child abuse recognition and reporting (approved course)	RNs and LPNs renewing; new applicants	2 hours each renewal; 3 hours for initial licensure	Every biennial renewal (also required at the first renewal)	Yes, part of the total CE hours	49 Pa. Code §21.131, §21.508 · official source

What is New York's November 17, 2026 deadline?

New York law (Chapter 25 of the Laws of 2024) updated the mandated reporter curriculum to cover identifying abuse of children with intellectual or developmental disabilities. All mandated reporters, including those already trained, must complete the updated training by November 17, 2026. If you trained between November 1, 2022 and August 31, 2025, a short 15-minute addendum is available.

Logged in the 2026 changes log. See the New York page and the NYSED mandated training page.

How many child abuse CE hours do Pennsylvania nurses need?

Pennsylvania RNs and LPNs need 2 hours of approved child abuse recognition and reporting CE every biennial renewal, and applicants need 3 hours for initial licensure. The course must come from a provider approved by the Department of Human Services. For RNs, the 2 hours are part of the 30 required each renewal, not extra.

See the Pennsylvania page.

Who needs Iowa's mandatory reporter course?

Iowa nurses who care for children take the child abuse mandatory reporter course, and those who care for dependent adults take the dependent adult course, or both if they care for both. Each course is 2 contact hours and counts as CE. Iowa HHS offers the training free online, and its certificate lasts 3 years.

Sources: Iowa DIAL mandatory reporter course information · Iowa DIAL mandatory reporter training. See the Iowa page.

Do Illinois, Kentucky and Delaware require it?

Yes, in different forms. Illinois nurses who work with children need mandated reporter training at least every 6 years and attest to it at renewal. Kentucky requires a one-time 1.5-hour pediatric abusive head trauma course for some nurses. Delaware's required hour covers recognizing abuse of vulnerable persons or reporting obligations, including child abuse or neglect.

See the Illinois, Kentucky and Delaware pages.

States without a requirement

Most other states we track list no requirement on this topic for RN renewal. Check your state page or the printable CE chart for every state's mandatory topics.

Free options

Iowa HHS offers its mandatory reporter training free online. For verified free courses, see free CE for mandatory nursing topics. We don't repeat that list here.

FAQ

Which states require child abuse CE for nurses?

Pennsylvania, New York, Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky and Delaware have child abuse training rules for nurses. Hours, frequency and who must take it differ by state.

When is New York's updated child abuse training due?

Mandated reporters, including registered nurses, must complete the updated child abuse identification and reporting curriculum by November 17, 2026. Those trained between November 1, 2022 and August 31, 2025 can take a 15-minute addendum.

How many child abuse hours do Pennsylvania nurses need?

Two hours of approved child abuse recognition and reporting CE every biennial renewal, and 3 hours for initial licensure.

How long is Iowa's mandatory reporter certificate good for?

Three years for the Iowa HHS course. A course taken through IDPH before July 1, 2019 was good for 5 years.

Sources & last verified

Rules last verified 2026-10-17 against the Pennsylvania Code, NYSED, Iowa DIAL, Illinois IDFPR, Kentucky KBN and Delaware DPR pages linked in each row.

Child abuse recognition and reporting training for nurses: state rules (2026)