California To Adopt Online Child Abuse Reporting System Statewide

All California counties starting January 1, 2021, will be able to participate in a statewide online child maltreatment reporting system which will allow the participating counties to receive electronic non-urgent reports of potential abuse or neglect from mandated reporters anywhere in the state. The system, called Child Abuse Reporting Electronic System (CARES), was developed by the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). CARES includes a standardized safety assessment of qualifying questions and excludes the submission of emergent reports where the child is subject to immediate risk of abuse, neglect, exploitation, or is in imminent danger . . .