Mandated Reporter

Due: 9/17

● What is the DCFS Hotline number?

1-800-25-ABUSE. You can do an online feature
● What information should I share with the person taking the report?
Basic information Brief narrative of why you are calling. Injury- document and make sure
they know what the injury is. What the student said. They will ask about the family
background.
● What should I do if the Hotline takes my contact information but doesn't call
me back before I go home?
It depends on the situation. Call again before they leave for the day.
● Do I give the worker my cell phone number?
You can. It is up to you. Work #
● Do I need to tell an administrator that I am making a report?
Let someone know you are making the report. Notify Daniel if Check and Connect
● If the administrator or someone else tells me not to call what should I do?
I am mandated reporter, so I have to call.
● Should I call the parent and let them know I have made a report?
No.
● If I tell my administrator will I still need to call the Hotline and make the report
myself?
Yes.
● Do I make the report in front of the student?
No.
● What do I do if I feel the student is unsafe to go home?
Call DCFS back if not already. If needing to call the police, call the police. If we need to
help them find a place to stay. Talk to the student first for their perspective. Let DCFS
know.
● What do I do if the student states they do not feel safe going home?
Provide support to the student, make their needs a priority, get more information as to
why. It could interfere with the investigation.
● Do I need to document the call?
Document that you made the call. Don’t put the call in Panorama.

● Is there a form to fill out once a report has been made?

There in a form called a CANC 5 form - mail to them.
● If so, where do I locate the form?

● What do I tell the student's teacher?

Confidentiality. You guide the teacher through making the call. Staff shouldn’t be coming
to you to let them know they heard anything.
● How do I make an electronic report?
Haven’t used it.

*you can challenge - right to appeal.

When making a DCFS hotline call, or an online report, there are many important items of
information you will need to share in order to ensure that the case is investigated properly.
Firstly, you will need to report the child's full legal name, their gender, their race, their birthday
and age, as well as where they live. All of these identifiers will make it easier for the DCFS
worker to conduct a thorough and timely investigation. You also will want to provide a brief
narrative of why you are calling and what information was disclosed to you. This information
might include (if there is proof of injury) where the injury took place on the child, who resides in
the household, when and where the abuse took place, etc.
If you make a call and have your contact information taken down because all DCFS
workers are busy at the time of the call, you likely will hear back within that same day. If not, it is
highly encouraged that you give a call back before the end of the day so that the child isn’t
going home to an unsafe situation without intervention/investigation. In this event, when
providing your contact information to DCFS, it is your choice if you want to provide a work
number or a cell phone number.
Some school districts may have different protocols when it comes to informing
supervisors of DCFS calls. Many districts expect their employees to notify administration or
supervisors when they are making a DCFS call. If a supervisor or administrator tells you that it is
okay not to call DCFS about a suspicion of abuse, it is important that you still act on your gut
and call DCFS. As a mandated reporter, despite what your supervisor may feel, you are
required to call with any information that raises suspicion that a child may not be safe. In the
event that a child, unfortunately, is harmed, there are serious consequences that could occur as
a result of holding onto information about the abuse and not calling. It is also important to note
that telling your administrator does not alleviate your responsibility to call. Informing the
supervisor is just a way to ensure that you have support throughout the process, have another
party informed of the plan, etc., and is not to turn over the responsibility to call to that
administrator. It is vital that the call is made by the person that received the information
firsthand.
Every situation is different when it comes to DCFS calls, but the rule of thumb generally
is to not notify parents when a DCFS call is made. In doing so, you could increase the likelihood
that a child could experience harm as a result of the information they confided in you about.
Additionally, in notifying the parent of the call, it could give the parents time to formulate a story
surrounding the child’s statements that would discredit the child. You also would not make the
report in front of the student. This may be because you want to ensure that the process causes
as little trauma on our end as possible, and involving students in it, increases their fear, anxiety,
etc. It also may deter the student from confiding in you in the future.
In the event that the school day is ending and you have not been contacted back by
DCFS, but you are worried about the child’s well being as they are planning to go home, it is
important that you create a plan before the day ends. This plan may include calling DCFS back
until you get a hold of them, calling the police, and coming up with a safety plan. If the student
states that they do not feel safe going home, you want to first provide them support by
processing the situation and the fear behind it. You want to make their needs a priority. In doing
so, you can gather as much information about the situation as possible. You don’t want to
investigate yourself, however, because that is not our expertise and it could interfere with the
investigation. Additionally, if another staff member inquires about why the student isn’t in class,
why the student was upset, what they needed to talk to you about, etc., it is important not to
disclose any information to them. Confidentiality needs to be upheld. If it is a teacher coming to
you as a social worker with the expectation that you will call for them, it is important that you
inform them that they must make the call themselves, but if they need support, you can support
them through making the call.
Once you make the call to DCFS, it is good to document that contact in your personal,
private logs. Be sure not to document that in any databases or platforms that others can access
as that is a major breach in confidentiality. After a report is made, you will fill out a document
called the CANTS-5 form on the DCFS website. This form will ask a variety of information such
as, “what are the injuries or signs of abuse?” “how and when approx. did the abuse/neglect
occur and how did you become aware of it?” etc. You will then print this form and mail it into
DCFS. Once DCFS receives and reviews the case, If the case is taken, and it is unfounded, you
have the right to appeal if you are confident that the abuse/neglect is occurring.
Notes:
Myth busters:
● Boys who are sexually abused by men have a harder time disclosing their abuse
because they are afraid they will be perceived as “gay”
● Less than 5% of reported abuse cases cause a child to be removed from the home.
Tips for Mandated Reporters:
● Law was passed in 1986.
● Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act (ANCRA).
● 1-800-25ABUSE 1-800-252-2873 1-217-524-2606 1-800-358-5117 (TTY)
● As a Mandated Reporter, you have specific rights to: The Hotline worker’s full name To
speak to the Hotline worker’s supervisor if you do not agree with the Hotline worker’s
decision To request a review of an investigation that has been unfounded if there are
concerns regarding the adequacy of the investigation To receive information about the
findings and actions taken by the Department during the investigation, including actions
taken to ensure a child’s safety
● As a Mandated Reporter, if you make a good faith report to the Hotline, you are entitled
to immunity from legal liability. That means you cannot be successfully sued by the
parent or the alleged perpetrator, even if your report is not “indicated.” The law presumes
you reported in good faith. To successfully sue you, the parent or perpetrator would have
to prove that you willfully lied.