Child Abuse Reporting Electronic System (CARES)

About the Program

Category: County Administration and Management (Best in Category)

Year: 2019

In October 2015, Senate Bill (SB) 478 was signed into law by the governor of California. This Bill allows participating counties to test the concept of an online reporting system with a group of mandated reporters (law enforcement agencies, schools, medical professionals, mental health clinicians, Probation, Coroner and DCFS employees) in non-urgent situations, with the hope of creating a more efficient reporting process. In an effort to improve its operations, Los Angeles County is the only County within the State of California, which opted to develop an online pilot.In an effort to meet the increasing number of calls being reported to the Los Angeles County’s Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) Child Protection Hotline (CPH), CPH in conjunction with DCFS’ Business Information Systems (BIS) Division developed and designed the Child Abuse Reporting Electronic System (CARES), which is an on-line reporting system for use by mandated reporters. These selected mandated reporters may use the internet-based reporting system in Iieu of the initial telephone report and will not need to submit the required written follow-up report (Suspected Child Abuse Report Form SS8572). CARES, which was implemented on November 15, 2017, enhances options for a select group of mandated reporters to report suspected child abuse and neglect per the mandated reporters law. This system, which is only for non-urgent reports, includes a standardized safety assessment of qualifying questions and excludes the submission of reports where the child is subject to immediate risk of abuse, neglect, or exploitation or is in imminent danger of severe harm or death. The qualifying questions redirect the reporter to file their report by telephone when the situation is emergent.DCFS is pleased to share that, through implementation of the automated CARES, non-urgent child abuse reports are more expeditiously and appropriately addressed.