Reporting Child Abuse
Reporting Suspected Child Abuse
Reporting suspected child abuse can be the crucial first step in protecting vulnerable children and can lead to the essential services that they and their families need. If you need immediate assistance, call 911. To report concerns of abuse, call the 24/7 Oregon Child Abuse Hotline at 855-503-7233, or the Amani Center at 503-366-4005, Monday – Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Your Role in Protecting Children
You may have a lot of questions when it comes to reporting suspected child abuse, and what happens next once you do. If you have concerns regarding if you are wrong or right, it is better to report suspected abuse and be wrong, than to not report suspected abuse and be right. Your role in alerting the proper authorizes puts the care of children and families into the right hands, with people who are experts in assessing child abuse.
Commonly Asked Questions
The more details that you can provide, the better. You may be asked when and where the abuse occurred, for the names and details of all persons involved, and further questions about the suspected abuse.
Reporting can be anonymous, however, individuals making reports are encouraged to provide their name and relationship to the child, as your information could be helpful in the future.
It is important to know that making a report does not mean that you must be an expert in determining if child abuse has taken place; there are many factors involved, and you aren’t expected to know all that is happening in the home. Oregon Child Welfare are the experts in determining if a child can or cannot safely remain in their home, and alerting them to suspected abuse is the first step in the child abuse assessment procedure. In most cases, it is the belief of Child Welfare that strengthening a parent’s ability to care for their child is the best way to protect them.