Child Abuse Reporting

In the wake of the recent Penn State Abuse scandal, I feel that the breakdown occurred when responsible individuals didn't know what to do when they received information.

In Arkansas, reporting is centralized through the Arkansas State Police. The phone number is 1-800-482-5964. You will speak to an operator who will ask you questions about the suspected abuse or neglect. Your identity will be kept confidential unless a judge orders that information to be released which in most cases never happens. Even suspected cases should be called in. In most cases, the operator will generate a report and it will get checked out. Even if abuse is not occurring, these situations need to be checked out. My general opinion is that where there's smoke there's fire. If you have a question about whether something should be reported, it probably should.

Neglect is often confusing and people ask me if it should be reported, and it should. Neglect can come in many forms from not providing necessities like food and clothing, not providing appropriate medical attention, not providing adult supervision, and not requiring children attend school.