State
law requires that every health care professional, teacher, and every other person
who has reason to believe that a child under 18 is being abused or neglected,
or is in danger of being abused or neglected, must report the suspicion of abuse
to the OKDHS.
What
do I do if a child discloses abuse to me?
Who
is required to report suspicions of child abuse?
Who
do I call to make a report if I suspect a child is being abused?
Use
the 3 R's of Child Abuse: Recognize, Respond, Report. A child who discloses
to you has sought you out and placed you in their trust. Listen and take action.
Reassure the child that he or she is brave to share this information with you
and that you will do everything you can to help. Do not ask a lot of questions;
leave that to the trained investigators of the Oklahoma Department of Human
Services (OKDHS) and local law enforcement. In taking action, make a report
of the abuse promptly to the OKDHS hotline 1-800-552-3511, and call your local
law enforcement.
According
to 10 O.S. 2004 7301, a report is to be made to OKDHS. To report abuse that
may have occured, the hotline number to call is 1-800-522-3511. School personnel
can also fax a report to the statewide hotline fax at 405-767-2607and OKDHS
will follow up with the reporting party by phone.
