Continuous Improvement of Your Policies and Procedures
Your Policies and Procedures must be continuously referred to throughout the year. At a minimum, an annual review of all policies and procedures…
Home / Reporting / How to Report Child Sexual Abuse
When a member of your staff suspects that a child is being abused and/or neglected, they are required to immediately call your local Department of Children and Families (DCF) Area Office and ask for the Screening Unit. You can find a directory of the DCF Area Offices and a copy of the 51A report form on the Department of Children and Families (DCF) website. These offices are staffed between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays. To make a report at any other time, including after 5 p.m. and on weekends and holidays, call the Child-At-Risk Hotline at 800-792-5200. Reporters are also required by law to mail or fax a written report to DCF (51A report form) within 48 hours after making the verbal report.
The DCF Protective Intake Policy is divided into two phases: (1) the screening of all reports; and (2) a response to any report that is screened in. All screened-in reports are now investigated. In our chart, What Happens When DCF Receives a 51A Report?, you’ll find a detailed description of what happens when a report is made to DCF, and a description of the investigative process, and its timelines and steps.
When the call is made, and the 51A form is filled out, the reporter should be prepared to provide the following information, if known:
If you do not have all this information, do not let this keep you from filing. File with what information you do have and let the professionals make their determinations.
Policies & Procedures
Your Policies and Procedures must be continuously referred to throughout the year. At a minimum, an annual review of all policies and procedures…
Training
Your organization has the opportunity to support and empower young people to feel confident, protected, and safe in their homes and communities….
Training
Training for Different Audiences Training programs designed to prevent child sexual abuse take many forms and contain varying levels of detail,…
Monitoring Behavior
Your Youth-Serving Organization (YSO) should develop a protocol to keep staff and volunteers accountable for their behaviors. Identify the…
Safe Environments
In the past, youth-serving organizations needed to worry about safety only within the physical environment—the building(s) where their services…
Training
Training should be used to increase knowledge and awareness of child abuse prevention, to teach staff about responding to children who disclose…
Safe Environments
Along with site safety, visibility issues, physical access, and security procedures, supervision is a critical aspect of creating and maintaining…
Training
Parents and other caregivers need to receive, at a minimum, the same level of prevention education as their child/youth. Parents can be strong…
Code of Conduct
Your Code of Conduct will be unique to your organization, based on your size, purpose, location, staffing, ages served, additional vulnerabilities…
Sustainability
Long-term organizational change is a process of continuous review, evaluation, and communication. It includes regularly examining what is working…
Customized child sexual abuse prevention guidelines to meet the unique needs of any organization that serves children.
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