CALLING THE DCF HOT LINE

GETTING INVOLVED

Several articles on this web site discuss what you should do when you are being investigated. But what if you yourself have a complaint that someone else is abusing or neglecting a child? What should you do about it?

The first question is, should you get involved at all?

The answer is, yes, absolutely.

If you have a reasonable suspicion that a child may be abused or neglected, it is morally reprehensible to not take action.

This does not mean that you need a certainty, or that you should do your own investigation. You should not. This is not a TV show, and you are not Dick Van Dyke or Angela Lansbury. Doing your own investigation will almost always cause more problems than it solves.

It is enough to have a reasonable suspicion. However, “reasonable” does not mean simply that you dislike the parents, and you have doubts. There are always doubts. Your suspicions should be based on something you saw or heard yourself.

Often, another person will say, “I heard this or saw that, but I don’t want to get involved. You call for me, please. I’m too nervous”

Resist the tendency. The investigator will get back to the other person anyway, and you will look foolish.

There is no getting around it: if you have a reasonable suspicion of child abuse or neglect, based on what you saw or heard, then you should get involved. Not doing so is an affront to civilization.

HOW TO CALL

The standard method of getting involved is to call the DCF Hotline. The hotline number is listed in the Blue Pages of all phone books, and on the DCF web site: http://www.ct.gov/dcf. Currently, the number is: (800) 842-2288. The hotline is operational, toll free, 24/7.

Unfortunately, there are often misunderstandings about who said what. DCF may record the hot line call, but you are unlikely to get a copy of that recording. Therefore, you may instead write to the DCF Hotline.

To send a letter, address it to:

Dept. of Children and Families

505 Hudson St.

Hartford, CT 06106

ATTN: DCF Hot Line

To send a fax, call the Hot Line and ask for the fax number. The current hot line fax is: (860) 560-7070, or (860) 560-7172

If you do call the hot line, there is nothing wrong with following up with a letter or fax. Keeping it in writing is the best way to avoid misunderstandings.

Please do NOT write to your State legislator or to a court official, or call the local DCF office. That will only waste time.

WHAT TO SAY

Whether you call or write the answer is the same: keep it simple, stick to the facts, don’t get emotional, and don’t tell the operator what to do.

This is not TV, where the person who yells the loudest gets results. If you want results, stick to the facts.

Obviously, every call is different, but here is a simple example:

I am Joe Jones, of 12 Main Street, Texas City, CT. My phone number is (860) 555-0000. My cell phone is (860) 555-1111.

My next-door neighbor, Sally Smith, of 10 Main Street, has four kids, ages 2-8.

Every time I see these kids, they are dirty and wearing raggy clothes. They come to my house asking for food. One kid has rotten teeth that are falling out. Another kid has several bruises on his head and a black eye.

You might wish to investigate. Thank you.

Then, answer any questions that the hot line operator asks.

Remember, if you tell the entire truth, and don’t editorialize, you cannot go wrong.

CAUTION

It is illegal to report false information on hot line calls. Nevertheless, it happens, and little or nothing is done about it.

The Hot Line is a serious tool for helping innocent kids. It is not a device to get back at your neighbors, your adult children, or a former lover.

The State of Connecticut does not have money to waste on investigating bogus hot line calls, or in having DCF act as your family court referee.

NOTE ON CONFIDENTIALITY

If you call the Hot Line, the general rule is that your identity will not be disclosed. However, that does not really guarantee secrecy. A client, or her lawyer, can get DCF records; and it is usually possible, despite DCF’s blanking out of the caller’s name, to figure out who made the call.

Therefore, absolute secrecy cannot be guaranteed. However, you cannot be sued for calling, unless the call was clearly malicious and totally unfounded.

This should not stop you from calling when you have a reasonable suspicion of child abuse or neglect, based upon your own observations. After all, it is your own face in the mirror.