• Download: Identifying Red Flag and Grooming Behaviors PDF

• Download: Reporting Red Flag Bahaviors - Oregon and Washington Mandatory Reporters

• Download: What You Can Do About Child Abuse - Oregon Department of Human Services Child Welfare

• Reporting Red Flag Behavior – Oregon Mandatory Reporting

• Legal Standard for Mandatory Reporting

  • You are required to report when you have reasonable cause to believe that a child may have been abused or neglected. You do not need proof — just a reasonable suspicion. Oregon DHS guidance stresses: “When in doubt, call.”

• Red Flag Behaviors

  Red flags are warning signs, such as:
  • A child who is always hungry
  • Sudden fear of a caregiver
  • Repeated unexplained injuries
  • Sexually inappropriate knowledge for their age
  A single red flag may not always mean abuse, but if the behavior or condition creates reasonable suspicion, you should report. Multiple red flags together increase the need to report.

• What You Should Do

  • If red flag behavior raises reasonable concern, report it.
  • You don’t need to investigate or be certain — that is DHS or law enforcement’s role.
  • If you’re unsure, call the number below. Hotline screeners will determine if a case should be opened.

  • Oregon Child Abuse Hotline 1-855-503-SAFE (1-855-503-7233)

  • Washington Child Abuse(DCYF): 1‑866‑END‑HARM (1‑866‑363‑4276)

• ✅ Bottom line: You should report red flag behavior when it gives you reasonable suspicion of abuse or neglect. The law does not expect you to sort out whether it really happened. Your duty is to make the call.

Reporting Child Abuse

• Oregon Child Abuse Hotline: 1-855-503-SAFE (1-855-503-7233)

• Washington Child Abuse (DCYF): 1‑866‑END‑HARM (1‑866‑363‑4276)

• Any person who has reasonable cause that a child or and adult is being abuse must call:

• Oregon Child Abuse Hotline: 1-855-503-SAFE (1-855-503-7233)

• Washington Child Abuse (DCYF): 1‑866‑END‑HARM (1‑866‑363‑4276)

• If you think someone is being hurt or is in danger call 911.

• See the attached example form of the Child Abuse Report Log Document. You will have received this document in your UP folder. Please use printed copy when reporting.
  
  While on the call:

• Ask for the name and email address of the person you are making the report to. If they ask why you need this information, let them know that you are required by the Ukulele Project policy to follow up the call with an email confirming the report.

• Document the response you received from the contact person. Responses might include, opening an investigation, not enough information to begin an investigation or this information will be added to an existing report received earlier.

After the call:

• Send an email to the intake person you spoke with, confirming your call. Include your full name, your school, contact information and who you made the report about. Ask the person to respond back that they have received your email confirmation.

• Send a seperate email to theukuleleprojectPDX@gmail.com with photo of Child Abuse Report Log Document. This documentation will be printed and kept indefinitely by the Ukulele Project.

• After you send an email to theukuleleprojectPDX@gmail.com with photo of Child Abuse Report Log Document. Please use the link below to document what you have reported.  

  • The Ukulele Porject Reporting Red Flag Behavior Documentation Form

• Oregon Law (Legal Requirement)

  • The law says a mandatory reporter’s legal duty is to report suspected abuse directly to DHS or law enforcement, not to their employer, school, or supervisor.

  • Reporting only to a principal, program director, or school office does not satisfy the legal requirement. You must call the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline: 1-855-503-SAFE (1-855-503-7233, Washington Child Abuse (DCYF): 1‑866‑END‑HARM (1‑866‑363‑4276) or 911 in an emergency.

  School or Program Policies (Organizational Requirement)

  • Many public schools and districts have internal policies requiring staff (including contractors or afterschool providers working on school grounds) to inform the school administration if a report is made.

  • This internal step is about communication and coordination, but it’s secondary to the legal requirement.

  • Some afterschool programs (like The Ukulele Project) choose to have a policy that contactors inform the program director after making the hotline call — again, this does not replace the legal duty.

  • The Ukuele Project will liaison with the correct school contacts to make sure that you can remain anonymous and that the right precautions are taken to provide safety to any and all parties involved.

  • You do not report to the school.

Resources 

Phone Numbers by County to Report Abuse 

EnglishSpanish

Oregon Network of Child Abuse Intervention Centers