Reporting Child Abuse or Neglect
To file a report of child abuse or neglect Monday through Friday, 8:45AM to 5:00PM, call the Department of Children and Families (DCF) area office for the city or town where the child is living. Use the link below to find the contact information for the right office. Nights and weekends, call the 24-hour Child-at-Risk Hotline at 1-800-792-5200.
Additional Resources
Massachusetts Children's Alliance (MACA)
The Massachusetts Children's Alliance (MACA) manages the 12 county-based Child Advocacy Centers (CACs) across Massachusetts. CACs conduct investigations into reported instances of sexual and physical abuse of children. Multi-disciplinary teams from different agencies and organizations come together to conduct a thorough investigation that keeps the needs of the victim at the forefront of the process.
Additional Resources
DCF Ombudsman's Office
The DCF Ombudsman’s Office is a resource for parents, foster and adoptive parents, advocates, legislators, and others who have questions or concerns regarding DCF programs, policies or services. The Ombudsman's Office tries to mediate and resolve problems that come to their attention about individual cases. In addition, they keep track of the types of complaints that they receive to look for systemic problems or weaknesses in the child welfare system. The Ombudsman's Office then uses this information to suggest policy or program changes to the Commissioner and other agency staff as appropriate.
To contact the Ombudsman's Office, call 617-748-2444
or email DCFOmbudsman@state.ma.us
Unified Planning Teams (UPT)
Unified Planning Teams review cases of children and youth who receive services from multiple state agencies and need help solving problems or need help with their treatment planning. Parents, legal guardians, state agencies, juvenile court judges, and in some cases, children and youth themselves can request a review by a Unified Planning Team. Requests must be sent in writing using the form below.
Additional Resources
Massachusetts Mandated Reporters
Below are OCA-created documents to support Massachusetts mandated reporters in their responsibilities to report child abuse and neglect. These materials are directly related to the OCA Mandated Reporter Training for Educators.
Additional Resources
Contact for Child Welfare Information
Phone
For all OCA phone lines hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (closed on State and Federal holidays)