Public Reporting Guide

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This guide walks you through reporting suspected child abuse or neglect using the online reporting form. You do not need an account or any special access. If you believe a child is being hurt or is not being properly cared for, your report can make a difference.

If a child is in immediate danger, call 911 first. Do not use this form if someone is being hurt right now. Call emergency services, then come back to submit a report afterward if you choose.

How to Submit a Report

The reporting form is available at the Report page. It is a six-step wizard — you fill out each step, click Next, and only submit on the final review step:

  1. Reporter — who you are (or anonymous)

  2. Incident — what happened, where, and when

  3. Adults — adults connected to the situation

  4. Children — children you are concerned about

  5. Narrative — additional context, safety concerns, Indian heritage (optional)

  6. Review — verify everything and submit

Fields marked with an asterisk (*) are required. You can navigate back to earlier steps at any time using the progress bar at the top of the form.

After you submit, a confirmation page shows your confirmation code and offers an optional file upload (up to three PDF / DOC / DOCX / TXT documents, 10 MB each) for any supporting evidence.

Step 1: Reporter — Choose Your Reporter Type

The first thing you will see is the Reporter Type dropdown. Choose the option that best describes you:

Mandated Reporter

You are required by law to report suspected abuse or neglect because of your profession (for example, teachers, doctors, nurses, social workers, law enforcement officers, or daycare providers). If you select this option, you will be asked for your name, phone number, and email address.

Concerned Citizen

You are a neighbor, family member, friend, or other person who has a concern about a child’s safety. You are not legally required to report, but you are choosing to do so. If you select this option, you will be asked for your name, phone number, and email address.

Anonymous

You do not wish to share your identity. You may submit a report without providing your name or contact information.

Providing your contact information (even if you are not a mandated reporter) helps investigators follow up if they need more details. Your identity is protected by law — see Confidentiality below.

If you chose Mandated Reporter or Concerned Citizen, fill in your First Name, Last Name, Phone, and Email. None of these individual fields are strictly required, but providing at least a phone number or email is strongly encouraged so that an investigator can reach you if needed.

If you selected Mandated Reporter, the form will also ask you to pick your mandated-reporter category (for example, School Teacher, Physician, Law Enforcement) to satisfy state-specific reporting-law requirements (in Georgia, O.C.G.A. § 19-7-5).

Step 2: Incident — Describe What Happened

This is where you explain what happened or what you are concerned about.

Administrative Unit (required)

Type the name of the administrative unit (county in most states, tribal region in some jurisdictions) where the child lives or where the incident took place — for example, Fulton.

Concern Type (required)

Select the category that best matches your concern:

  • Physical Abuse — A child has been physically harmed (hitting, burning, shaking, etc.)

  • Sexual Abuse — A child has been sexually abused or exploited

  • Neglect — A child’s basic needs are not being met (food, shelter, supervision, hygiene)

  • Emotional Abuse — A child is being subjected to constant criticism, threats, or rejection that causes emotional harm

  • Medical Neglect — A child is not receiving necessary medical or dental care

Description of Concern (required)

Write a detailed description of what you have seen, heard, or been told. Be as specific as you can. Include dates, times, and locations if you know them. The description must be at least 20 characters long.

For example: "I have noticed bruises on the child’s arms on three separate occasions over the past month. The child told me they were hit at home."

Incident Location

If you know the address or general location where the incident happened, enter it here. This is optional but helpful.

Incident Date

If you know when the incident occurred, select the date. This is optional.

Child is in immediate danger

Check this box if you believe the child is currently unsafe. This helps prioritize the report for faster review.

If a child is in immediate danger right now, call 911 before submitting this form. Checking this box flags the report as urgent, but it is not a substitute for calling emergency services.
Additional Information

Use this space to add anything else that might help — for example, the child’s school, a description of the home, or any other relevant details. This field is optional.

Step 3: Adults — Adults Connected to the Situation

Click the + Add Adult button to add information about adults connected to the situation. You can add up to 10 adults.

For each adult, you can provide:

  • First Name and Last Name

  • Relationship to Child — for example, "mother," "father," "stepfather," "babysitter," "uncle"

  • Alleged maltreater — check this box if this person is the one you believe is harming or neglecting the child

Partial information is better than none. To remove an entry you added by mistake, click the X button in the top-right corner.

Step 4: Children — Children You Are Concerned About

Click the + Add Child button to add information about each child. You can add up to 10 children.

For each child, you can provide:

  • First Name and Last Name — if you know them

  • Age — the child’s approximate age (0 to 21)

  • Gender — Male, Female, or Other

  • Relationship to primary caregiver — biological, step, foster, adopted, kinship, other

Even a first name or an approximate age is helpful.

Step 5: Narrative — Additional Context (Optional)

This step lets you provide longer-form context that doesn’t fit neatly into the earlier fields:

  • Safety concerns — specific things that make you worry the child is unsafe (weapons in the home, substance use, domestic violence)

  • Additional information — anything else that might help an investigator

  • Indian heritage — if a child is (or may be) a member of a federally recognized tribe, this triggers Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) protections during investigation

  • Self-reporting — check this if you are the child or adult you are reporting about (for example, a minor self-reporting abuse)

All fields on this step are optional.

Step 6: Review — Verify and Submit

The final step shows a read-only summary of everything you have entered. Scroll through and make sure the information is correct. Use the Back button or click an earlier step in the progress bar to fix anything.

When you are ready, click the blue Submit Report button at the bottom.

If any required fields are missing or incomplete, the wizard returns you to the step containing the problem and highlights the field in red. Fix the issue and continue.

If the submission is successful, you will see a green confirmation screen with your confirmation code and an option to upload supporting documents (see below).

Write down or save your confirmation code. This is the only way to check the status of your report later. It looks something like: RPT-20260319-A7E2

Uploading Supporting Documents (Optional)

The confirmation page includes an Attachments section where you can upload up to three supporting documents. This is optional — your report is already submitted. Accepted formats: PDF, DOC, DOCX, TXT. Maximum size: 10 MB per file.

Typical uploads might include:

  • A photo of a visible injury

  • A written timeline you prepared

  • A screenshot of a worrying text message

Files are scanned and stored securely alongside your report. Only trained intake and investigation staff can view them.

After Submitting

Once your report is submitted:

  1. Your report enters a queue for review by trained intake staff.

  2. A screener reads your report and decides whether it meets the criteria for an investigation.

  3. If the report is accepted for investigation, it is assigned to a caseworker who will look into the situation.

  4. If the report does not meet the criteria for investigation, it is screened out. Screened-out reports are still kept on file and can be referenced if future reports are received about the same child or family.

How long does this take? Response times depend on the jurisdiction (state and county) handling the report. Reports where a child is in immediate danger are prioritized. There is no single answer for how quickly your report will be reviewed, but intake staff typically begin screening reports within one to three business days.

You will not receive a phone call or email when the status changes. Use your confirmation code to check the status yourself (see below).

Checking Report Status

To check what is happening with your report:

  1. Go to the Check Status page.

  2. Enter your confirmation code in the text box (for example, RPT-20260319-A7E2).

  3. Click Check Status.

You will see the following information:

  • Confirmation Code — the code you entered

  • Status — the current state of your report (see below)

  • Submitted — the date and time you submitted the report

  • Last Updated — the date and time the status last changed

What the Status Values Mean

Status What It Means

Pending

Your report has been received and is waiting to be reviewed by intake staff. No action has been taken yet.

Screening

A screener is actively reviewing your report to determine whether it meets the criteria for a formal investigation.

Converted

Your report has been accepted and converted into a formal case for investigation. A caseworker has been or will be assigned.

Screened Out

After review, the report did not meet the criteria for a formal investigation at this time. The report is kept on file. If you have new information or a new concern, you may submit a new report.

Forwarded

Your report has been sent to a different agency or jurisdiction that is better suited to handle it (for example, if the child lives in a different county).

If your report has been screened out but you believe the child is still at risk, you may submit a new report with any additional information you have. Each report is reviewed individually.

Confidentiality

Your privacy matters. Here is how your information is handled:

  • Your identity is confidential. In most states, the identity of the person who made a report is not shared with the family being investigated. It is protected by law.

  • Anonymous reports are accepted. You may submit a report without providing your name. However, anonymous reports can be harder to investigate because the caseworker cannot contact you for more details.

  • Mandated reporters have a legal obligation to report. If you are a mandated reporter (teacher, doctor, nurse, social worker, law enforcement, etc.), you are required by law to report suspected abuse or neglect. Failure to report can result in legal consequences. Filing a report in good faith protects you from liability.

  • Reports are not public records. The contents of your report and the details of any investigation are kept confidential and are only shared with people who have a professional need to know.

Emergency Situations

Call 911 immediately if:

  • A child is being hurt right now

  • A child is in a life-threatening situation

  • A child has been abandoned

  • Someone is threatening to harm a child

  • A child needs immediate medical attention

Do not wait to fill out this form. Call 911 first.

After you have called 911 and the child is safe, you may also submit a report through this form to make sure the situation is documented and followed up on.

Crisis Hotlines

If you need to talk to someone right away:

Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline

1-800-422-4453 (1-800-4-A-CHILD)
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Trained counselors can help you decide what to do and connect you with local resources.

Crisis Text Line

Text HOME to 741741
Free, 24/7 crisis support via text message.

You do not need to be certain that abuse is happening to make a report. If something does not seem right, report it. Trained professionals will determine whether an investigation is needed. It is always better to report a concern and be wrong than to stay silent and leave a child at risk.
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