Suspected Child Abuse Or Neglect Report Form - Catholic Schools Office, Texas printable pdf download

Procedures in Case of Suspected Abuse or Neglect of

Children and Minors for Teachers, Principals and School Personnel

Responsibility to Report Suspected Child Abuse

Texas State Law requires anyone suspecting the abuse or neglect of a child to report the

suspected abuse or neglect, preferably to the Child Protective Services (CPS) Child Abuse

Hotline at 1-800-252-5400, or online at The

hotline, located in Austin, is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Texas Law specifically

requires that a teacher or professional make a report to Child Protective Services or to a local

law enforcement agency immediately, no later than 48 hours after first suspecting a child has

been abused or neglected. All reports of suspected child abuse or neglect are confidential. If the

report is made in good faith, reporters are immune from civil or criminal liability. A report to Child

Protective Services or a local law enforcement agency is your FIRST priority.

State Law requires that the person suspecting the abuse or neglect should be the reporter.

Reporting may not be delegated to another person. You cannot rely on someone else to make

the report. The law requires reports of suspected abuse, not an inquiry or investigation whether

abuse occurred. In fact, the mental health professionals ultimately responsible for assessing a

child and the prosecutors responsible for proving abuse ask that the reporter not attempt to

validate the abuse. REPORT…DO NOT INVESTIGATE!

When reporting abuse to the hotline or online, you will be asked to provide the following

information:

a. Child’s name, age and address.

b. Primary caretaker’s name and address.

c. Physical indicators observed.

d. Behavioral indicators observed.

e. Other indicators observed.

f. Your name, position and contact information.

Even if you do not have all this information available you must make a report with whatever

information you have.

After providing this information to the hotline caseworker, ask the caseworker for a case

reference number. If you make a report online, you will be given a case reference number. This

number is your proof that you have made a report. Moreover, if an investigation ensues at the

school, the Archdiocese will need the case number, along with a written version of the report

you have made to the hotline. Accordingly, soon after calling the hotline you should commit to

writing down all of this information, along with a narrative description of your report to the

caseworker.

Your suspicion of abuse and the reporting of that suspicion to authorities should be

treated as confidential information. The welfare of the possibly victimized child and the

reputations of the family, the school and the person who made the report in good faith can all be

placed in jeopardy by publishing information like this to people who have no legitimate need to

know. The school principal and the Catholic Schools Office should be advised after a report to

the authorities is made. Otherwise the report should be kept confidential.

2015

Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston

Catholic Schools Office

Suspected Child Abuse Or Neglect Report Form - Catholic Schools Office, Texas