Lesson 7

Arizona Child Abuse Hotline and Reporting Requirements

Phone number: 1-888-SOS-CHILD or 1-888-767-2445.

Reporting requirements: According to Arizona, “A report should be made when any person, who reasonably believes that a child under 18 has been abused, neglected, exploited or abandoned. A report of suspected abuse, neglect, exploitation or abandonment is only a request for an investigation. The person making the report does not need to prove the abuse. Investigation and validation of child abuse reports are the responsibilities of child protective service workers. If additional incidents of abuse occur after the initial report has been made, make another report.”

Teachers need to document incidents in a notebook and then report it to the principal. From there, it should be reported to Department of Child Safety for further action. It is very important for people to report child abuse to prevent it from happening. Mandated reporters are required by law to report suspicions of child abuse that are non-emergency concerns.