Reporting maltreatment
People who work in programs licensed by the department are legally required (mandated) to report suspected abuse, neglect, and exploitation of children and vulnerable adults, but anyone can voluntarily report.
Maltreatment investigation process
Every report received by DCYF is thoroughly reviewed, and additional information is often gathered to determine if additional investigation is warranted.
Frequently asked questions about maltreatment investigations explains the department's processes for assessing and investigating reports of maltreatment in DCYF-licensed programs.
The results of some investigation and licensing sanctions can be found using the Licensing Information Lookup tool.
Statistics and trends
The maltreatment report and investigation dashboard provides an overview of key data points from the investigation of maltreatment reports. The dashboard is currently shared with DHS and reflects the combined data for both agencies. An accessible version of the data from the dashboard is also available.
Reducing maltreatment risk
The department's Reducing maltreatment risk resource outlines areas that pose a risk of harm to children in licensed programs and provides recommendations on ways to reduce this risk.
Legal authority
Maltreatment investigations are guided by the procedures and definitions contained in the Reporting of Maltreatment of Minors Act.
