Reporting Known or Suspected Cases of Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation
Any person who knows, or has reasonable cause to suspect, that a person with a developmental disability is being abused, neglected,
or exploited by a relative, caregiver, or household member or, in the case of self-neglect, by themselves, is required to report such
knowledge or suspicion to the Florida Abuse Hotline at 1-800-96-ABUSE or 1-800-962-2873.
Failure to report known or suspected cases of abuse, neglect, or exploitation is a criminal offense. Keep in mind that, if you
are a service provider, failure to report known or suspected abuse can result in losing your job and/or possible legal action. When in
doubt, report it; it is always better to err on the side of caution.
Please select a topic:
Client on Client Abuse
Sexual assault or any other type of injury-causing physical altercation (such as punching, stabbing, choking,
or hitting another person with a heavy object) which takes place between two individuals with developmental
disabilities must also be reported immediately to the Florida Abuse Hotline as well as the police so that an
investigation may occur in order to determine whether or not the alleged abuse was the result of inadequate
supervision or neglect on the part of a service provider or caregiver. In addition, service providers must also
report the incident immediately to their supervisor as well as the local APD office to ensure the continued
health and safety of the individuals involved.
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How to Report Abuse, Neglect, or Exploitation
If you know or suspect that a person with a developmental disability is being abused, neglected, or exploited by a relative,
caregiver, or household member then you should do all of the following immediately:
- Call the Florida Abuse Hotline, which is a nationwide, toll-free telephone number, at 1-800-96-ABUSE (1-800-962-2873), or send a faxed statement the Abuse Hotline's statewide toll-free fax number, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at (1-800-914-0004), and
- Call the police, and
- Notify your supervisor, and
- You or your supervisor should notify the area Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) office in accordance with established APD incident reporting procedures.
Note: If you know about a situation in which the life of a person with a developmental disability is in immediate danger due to
abuse, neglect, or exploitation, you should call 911 before calling anyone else.
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Other People to Call
Direct service providers should report knowledge or suspicion of abuse, neglect, or exploitation to their supervisors who may be required
to report this information to the local APD office (in accordance with established APD reporting procedures). However, provider agencies
may not require their employees to first report such information to them before permitting their employees to call the Florida Abuse Hotline or police.
In fact, any person who knowingly and willfully prevents another person from reporting known or suspected abuse is guilty of a
misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
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Information That May be Requested by the Florida Abuse Hotline
Hotline operators may request the following information:
- Name, age, sex, physical description, and location of each victim alleged to have been abused, neglected, or exploited
- Names, addresses, and telephone numbers of the victim's family members
- Names, addresses, and telephone numbers of each alleged perpetrator
- Name, address, and telephone number of the caregiver of the victim, if different from the alleged perpetrator
- Name, address, and telephone number of the person reporting the alleged abuse, neglect, or exploitation
- Description of the physical or psychological injuries sustained
- Actions taken by the reporter, if any, such as notification of the criminal justice agency
- Any other information available to the reporting person that may establish the cause of abuse, neglect, or exploitation that occurred or is occurring.
NOTE: It is important that you do not delay calling the Hotline until you have all of the above information. Instead, call the Hotline with
whatever information you may have in order to protect persons with developmental disabilities from continued abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
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What Happens After a Hotline Call is Made?
When a call is received by the Florida Abuse Hotline, hotline staff must first determine if the situation described is something that state
law allows them to investigate (such as allegations involving the abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a child or vulnerable adult by a
relative, caregiver, or household member).
Sometimes, a report cannot be taken by the Florida Abuse Hotline because it does not involve an allegation of abuse, neglect, or exploitation
of a child or a vulnerable adult by their caregiver. In those situations, Hotline staff can still assist callers by providing them with
information and arranging referrals to other agencies as necessary.
When a report is made to the Florida Abuse Hotline, that information is used to assess the risk to the victim and determine findings. All
information obtained during an investigation is confidential but can also be used as evidence in any court proceedings that may take place.
The Department of Children & Families (DCF) is required to conduct an investigation of all abuse reports received and accepted in
order to determine if there is evidence that someone has been abused, neglected or exploited, and to see if assistance is necessary to
protect the individual's health and safety.
Within 24 hours of receiving a report, a protective investigator makes face-to-face contact with the alleged victim. If access to the
alleged victim is refused to the protective investigator, law enforcement may be called to assist.
Once access is gained, the investigator will interview those involved, evaluate the information obtained, and make a decision as to whether
the reported allegations did or did not occur.
If a victim is determined to be at risk and will not be safe remaining in his/her present environment, the investigator may place the victim
in a more suitable living arrangement such as that of the home of a relative or friend or another licensed residential placement.
As long as victims are capable of making their own decisions, they must request or consent to placement before it can occur. If victims are
not capable of making this decision, they may be removed by the investigator and placed in a safer environment, but the investigator must
petition the court for a hearing within 24 hours of removal so the court may decide if continued placement is necessary. The people who have
a right to be present at any hearing include the victim of a report, the victim's spouse, guardian, legal counsel, adult children and next of kin.
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Barriers to Reporting
Persons with developmental disabilities may fail to report abuse, neglect, or exploitation for the following reasons:
- Guilt, shame and love prevent victims from reporting the abuse, particularly when the abuser is an adult child or grandchild
- Fear that the perpetrator will end up in jail or on the streets (instead of being helped or treated) prevents victims from reporting,
particularly when the abuser is an adult child or grandchild
- Victims refuse to acknowledge that there is a problem
- Persons with disabilities are often taught to be compliant and passive and are sometimes unable to distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate physical contact
- Persons with disabilities may feel their report of abuse would not be believed
- Physical/cognitive impairments make it difficult for the victim to seek help
- Most augmentative communication systems (such as communication or picture boards used by people who cannot speak) are not programmed to
report abuse, neglect or exploitation.
- Victims do not know where to turn for help, and they are often isolated
- Victims are, or perceive themselves to be, financially or otherwise dependent on the abuser for their needs; abuser tells victim they will
lose everything if anyone is told
- Victims fear loss of a caregiver, even an abusing caregiver; they are fearful that the solution to the problem is more negative or
frightening than the problem itself; they are fearful they will be forced to leave their current families or homes. Persons with disabilities
may be more easily coerced with or threatened by the withholding of needed care or equipment.
The public often fails to report abuse of persons with disabilities because:
- There is a general lack of understanding or awareness of the true prevalence of abuse among the disabled population
- People, including professionals and law enforcement, often do not recognize abuse of persons with disabilities when they see it; they are
often quick to dismiss the visible signs of abuse by attributing it to their disability
- Most people assume that no person would be capable of committing certain acts of abuse against persons with disabilities
- Even though they may recognize the signs and symptoms of potential abuse, they don't believe a problem exists because they haven't seen actual physical abuse
- People fear financial or legal liability and retaliation if they report suspected abuse
- Many people have a misperception that their actions will not make a difference
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