Who must report suspected abuse?

NC Reporting Law GS 7B-301

“Any person or institution that has cause to suspect that any juvenile is abused, neglected, or dependent as defined by GS 7B-101, or has died as a result of maltreatment, shall report that case to the director of the Department of Social Services in the county where that juvenile is found.”

Bottom line? In the state of North Carolina, EVERY individual is responsible for reporting any suspected child abuse. Period. This sometimes gets confusing when it comes to policies at places of employment, but the bottom line is that this state law overrules the policy of any employer or institution.

If you live in one of the 7 counties of the First Judicial District served by Kids First, the following are the numbers of the reporting agencies to call. There is always someone on call to take child abuse reports, so please do not hesitate to call!

• Camden County Department of Social Services (DSS): (252) 331-4787
• Chowan County DSS: (252) 482-7441
• Currituck County DSS: (252) 232-3083
• Dare County DSS: (252) 475-5500
• Gates County DSS: (252) 357-0075
• Pasquotank County DSS: (252) 338-2126
• Perquimans County DSS: (252) 426-7373

Please note: You do NOT have to give your name when making a report of suspected child abuse or neglect.