Description
When a child in a school, coaching centre, hostel, sports academy, NGO or hospital is sexually abused, the adults around that child face hard questions within hours. Who must go to the police, and how fast? Can the school inquire first? What if the complaint is wrong? What can be said to other parents, and what must never be shared? Since July 2026 the Supreme Court has made the answer to the most important question unmistakable: a child’s disclosure must be reported, with no internal “verification” first. This course gives teachers, heads and staff a clear, practical command of the POCSO Act and related law, and a ready plan for what to do, in order.
What you will learn
- Who is a child under the POCSO Act, why consent is irrelevant below 18, and how the Act is gender-neutral
- The offences and punishments under the POCSO Act as amended in 2019, including aggravated offences by staff and persons in authority (ss.5, 6, 9, 10)
- The mandatory reporting duty (s.19), punishment for failure to report (s.21), and the judgments from Shankar Kisanrao Khade (2013) to AAA v. Linda Sema (2026)
- The narrow scope of the false complaint offence (s.22) and how to be fair to staff who are accused
- Identity protection under POCSO s.23, BNS s.72 and the Nipun Saxena judgment
- What happens after a report: statements, medical examination, emergency care, Special Courts, support persons and compensation under the POCSO Rules 2020
- School safety frameworks, safe recruitment and police verification, warning signs, and how to respond to a disclosure
- Online exploitation and reporting routes, with a model child protection policy, staff code of conduct, reporting flowchart, incident register and training checklist
Who this course is for
Teachers, principals and vice-principals; school owners, trustees and managing committees; coaching-centre owners and staff; hostel wardens and house parents; sports coaches and academy staff; transport in-charges and counsellors; NGO, shelter and healthcare staff; and B.Ed., M.Ed. and law students who want a practical, institution-focused understanding of child protection law. No legal background is needed.
How the course works
6 modules, 18 lessons, with a quiz of 5 questions after each module. Every lesson works through real situations in Indian institutions and ends with key takeaways. Abuse and grooming are described only at the level of general patterns and warning signs, as in official child protection training. The last module is a practical toolkit: reporting routes, a model child protection policy, a staff code of conduct, a ten-step disclosure and reporting flowchart, an incident register and an annual training checklist.
How the certificate works
- A final test of 30 multiple-choice questions, mostly real-life situations, with a 45-minute time limit
- Pass mark 60%; you can retry if you do not pass
- On passing, you receive a Lexfolio certificate with a unique ID, verifiable at lexfolio.in/verify-certificate/
- It is a certificate of completion from Lexfolio, not a degree, diploma or professional qualification
This course is education and general information, not legal advice. It states the law as on 31 October 2026. For a specific case, consult a lawyer or the District Legal Services Authority (NALSA helpline 15100).
Access: after payment, open My account > Courses and start learning. Lifetime access.
Access: after payment, open My account > Courses (or the course page) and start learning. Lifetime access to this course.
Free guides for this course
- POCSO Act Explained: Offences, Punishments and 2019 Changes
- How to File a POCSO Complaint: FIR, Statement, Special Court
- Child Protection Policy for Schools: Template and Legal Duties
- Failure to Report under POCSO: Section 21 and Linda Sema 2026
- POCSO Training for Teachers: What Every School Must Cover
- False Complaint under POCSO: Section 22 Explained
