Child Abuse and Neglect Mandatory Reporting

In 2012, the Illinois General Assembly passed a law expanding the requirements of the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act (325 ILCS 5/1, et seq). The law now requires all University personnel to immediately report suspected child abuse or neglect directly to the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). The report can be made by calling the abuse hotline at 1-800-25-ABUSE (1-800-252-2873) or by visiting the nearest DCFS office. For more information, visit http://www.state.il.us/dcfs/index.shtml. The Act requires that wherever the Statewide number is posted, there shall also be posted the following notice: “Any person who knowingly transmits a false report to the Department commits the offense of disorderly conduct under subsection (a)(7) of Section 26-1 of the Criminal Code of 1961. A violation of this subsection is a Class 4 felony.” (325 ILCS 5/7)

Individuals should contact DCFS or see DCFS’s Frequently Asked Questions when deciding whether or not to make a report.

In addition to the new legal requirements, the University has adopted a Protection of Minors Policy which requires University personnel to also report any suspected abuse or neglect to the University of Illinois Police Department. If there is an emergency, call 911. For non-emergency contact, use the following numbers:


University of Illinois at Springfield – (217) 206-6690
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – (217) 333-1216
University of Illinois at Chicago – (312) 355-3532

The University Policy also requires completion of an education program and in some situations, a background check. Each campus is responsible for establishing procedures implementing the University Policy.