Mandated reporters are required to report or cause a report to be made when, in the ordinary course of their employment or profession, they have reasonable cause to suspect or believe that a child under the age of 18 has been abused, neglected or is placed in imminent risk of serious harm. (CGS§17a-101a)
Emergent Situations - Call the Careline
800-842-2288
If the victim or another similarly situated minor is presenting in:
Immediate harm
With the need for emergent medical or mental health care
With a realistic fear of further abuse or neglect within the next 24 hours
That they will be inaccessible within the next 24 hours
All 3 components are required for referral to be accepted:
Victim - Was the victim under age 18*?
Perpetrator - Was the perpetrator responsible for, given access to, or entrusted to care for the victim?
Incident - Was there a specific incident during which the victim was abused or neglected by the perpetrator?
For families that do not meet the above acceptance criteria who may benefit from services, contact the infoline at 211.
*Age limitations are not considered for children currently receiving services from DCF or if allegations involve sexual abuse of a student by school personnel.
Educational Neglect
Occurs when a school-aged child has excessive absences from school through the intent or neglect of the parent or caregiver.
For children older than 12, excessive absenteeism through the child’s own intent, despite the caregiver’s efforts, is truancy which is handled through the school district.
A non-emergent suspicion is defined as a circumstance wherein there is suspicion of abuse or neglect and the alleged victim, or similarly situated minor, is not presenting:
In immediate harm
With need for urgent or emergent medical or mental health care
With a realistic fear of further abuse or neglect within the next 24 hours
As at risk of being inaccessible within the next 24 hours
A Mandated Reporter will complete the “Electronic Report of Non-Emergent Child Abuse or Neglect” PDF.
It is important to read the document and provide as much detail as you have regarding the demographics and the incident. Upon completion, that PDF should be sent as an attachment to referral@ct.gov. Upon submission, the sender will receive a confirmation of receipt email. The DCF Careline will review the information provided, and as is done with oral reports, will determine acceptance status and response time. Electronic Reports will be received Monday through Friday between 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. to accommodate school personnel. As a Mandated Reporter Once such a decision is made on your referral as a Mandated Reporter, you will receive an email (Mandated Reporter letter) with the acceptance status.
Your PDF viewer needs to be updated to the latest version of Adobe Reader. Follow the instructions that are provided after the “Please wait…” message when trying to open the attachment.
Making a report or ensuring that a report has been filed within 12 hours of becoming aware of a suspicion of abuse or neglect.
By providing as much information as reasonably possible.
Ensuring that only non-emergent matters are submitted electronically.
If these conditions are not met, you have not met your responsibility as a Mandated Reporter, and are subject to penalty per C.G.S.17a-28, §17a-101 et seq.; §46b-120.
The form is meant to be used in Adobe Reader. Per DCF you must download the form and then open it with Adobe Reader so it can be opened and populated. You cannot use a Chromebook, phone or iPad to use this form - it must be done from a Mac or PC.
The form is meant to be used in Adobe Reader.
1. To download the file, right-click on the link and save the file to your downloads.
2. Click the folder icon on the bottom left on your PC and locate your downloads folder, then double-click the file that you just saved (should be named DCFReferral.pdf with today's date) and it will open with Adobe Reader.
3. When the file is open you will see the instructions. You will need to check the box that says "I have read and understood my responsibility to the above" and then the form will open and you can populate it.
Once completed save a copy of the form - it will open the Save As option. Name the file so you do not overwrite the form template and save to the desired location.
Effective December 5, 2018, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) is introducing electronic reporting that will be available to mandated reporters from school systems for non-emergent child abuse and neglect concerns.
The basis for this process is Public Act 18-67, which allows DCF to establish a pilot program to permit certain mandated reporters of child abuse and neglect to submit their reports electronically and, starting October 1, 2019, allows all such reporters, as well as other individuals, to submit reports of suspected child abuse or neglect in this manner. A mandated reporter who makes an electronic report pursuant to this section shall respond to further inquiries from the Commissioner or the Commissioner's designee made within twenty-four hours of such report. Based on specific criteria, certain reports by a specific cohort of mandated reporters will serve as the Pilot Program.
DCF is committed to ensuring that there is a timely and responsive system to accept all calls concerning the safety and well-being of children. We recognize that the last few months have presented multiple challenges, largely due to the significant increase in the volume of calls and limitations to the phone system. To remedy these issues with recognition that call volume will remain high, the Department has been approaching improvements in a multipronged way, inclusive of staffing, needed enhancements to the phone system and maximizing advanced technology. While this effort serves as a pilot, we are confident it will improve the timeliness of reports and response time. We will be evaluating the effectiveness of this pilot to inform future development that will continue to roll out over the course of 2019 and look forward to your feedback.
