(Oregon-specific — ORS 419B.005 to .025. All mandatory reporters at Youth Era are covered by this framework.)

Oregon Child Abuse Hotline — Reporting Basics (ORCAH)

Source: Mandatory Reporting — ORCAH wallet card + "Child Abuse Reporting Guide" (DHS 2807, 3/2022)

1-855-503-SAFE (7233), 24/7/365. Call any time abuse is suspected — you don't need proof, just reasonable cause. Mandatory reporters must report immediately, cannot defer to internal policy, must identify themselves (an anonymous call doesn't count as a mandatory report), and must report even without full details or names. If a child is in immediate danger, call 911 first. Be ready to give (not all required): names/DOB/race/gender of those involved, relationship of the alleged perpetrator to the child, contact info, a description of the abuse (physical/mental/sexual, when/where), any disability or special needs, cultural/language considerations, and Native American/Alaska Native heritage. Abuse types tracked: neglect, physical abuse, mental injury, sexual abuse, threat of harm. Possible indicators: inadequate supervision; failure to provide food/clothing/shelter; unexplained or suspicious injuries; fear or changed behavior in the child; atypical sexual knowledge or behavior; intimate partner violence in the home; substance use affecting the child.

Questions to Consider Before Calling (DHS 3922a)

Source: Mandatory Reporting — "Questions to Consider Before Calling the Oregon Child Abuse Hotline," DHS 3922a (09/2021)

Key reminder: report any reasonable suspicion — you don't have to prove it. Before calling, it can help to consider what resources/supports a family is already accessing, whether other professionals (e.g. a school counselor) are already involved, and whether anyone has already raised the issue with the parent. Warning signs fall into three categories: physical signs on the child, behavioral signs/statements from the child, and behavioral signs/statements from the parent or caregiver — a reporter isn't responsible for investigating, just for gently engaging the child in conversation using open-ended, non-leading questions ("tell me more about that," "how did that happen?") and their own words. If an explanation doesn't fit the injury, report. When a child discloses possible abuse: stay calm (a strong reaction can cause a child to retract or stop talking); find a private, quiet space; listen and ask "then what happened?"; reassure them they're not in trouble and it's not their fault ("I'm sorry that happened to you"); tell them plainly what happens next ("we need to tell someone who knows how to help children and families"); and follow through with a report. This obligation cannot be deferred to someone else, even if internal policy suggests otherwise — but the call only counts as a mandatory report if the reporter identifies themselves.

Mandatory Reporter Training (full training script)

Source: Mandatory Reporting/MRT Curriculum — "Mandatory Reporter Training PP.pptx" (Oregon DHS-aligned training deck with full trainer speaking notes)

The most complete document in this folder — a full ~90-minute training script ("Recognize. Record. Report.") covering mandatory reporting for children (and, more broadly, vulnerable adults and the elderly, though this training focuses on child abuse). Oregon defines "child" as under 18, or under 21 if residing in or receiving services from a child-caring agency or foster home. The training is explicitly trauma-informed: it presumes many participants and reporters carry their own trauma history and gives explicit permission to take space if the content becomes difficult.

Do's when a child discloses: remain calm; consider your role/relationship and use professional judgment about touch or privacy; locate an interpreter if needed; reassure verbally ("I'm sorry that happened," "you are not alone"); listen and ask "then what happened?"; use the child's own vocabulary for body parts and actions rather than substituting clinical terms; tell them plainly what happens next — and, importantly, directly address fears around family separation or deportation for undocumented families (Child Welfare does not ask about or report immigration status); follow through on safety.

Don'ts: don't press for details or investigate yourself; don't ask "why" questions (children may hear these as blame); don't promise confidentiality or that they won't have to return to an alleged offender (that's not the reporter's call, and a broken promise like this can trigger recantation); don't notify the alleged offender; don't ask leading questions ("it was your mom, wasn't it?"); don't disclose the disclosure indiscriminately to coworkers without a need-to-know; don't editorialize negatively about the alleged offender, who the child may still love.

Nuanced judgment calls covered: reporter identity is protected in documentation (except to law enforcement via cross-reporting, or by court order), but families often guess anyway — a coach can acknowledge a parent's stress and offer to be a resource without confirming or denying making the report. Reporting on an unborn child is not mandatory (Oregon's legal definition of "child" begins after birth), but a voluntary report is encouraged if there's risk to a newborn, and any other children already in the home should be considered. Consensual sexual contact between similarly-aged, similarly-developed children without coercion, force, or a power differential does not meet Oregon's legal definition of abuse. Not all parental substance use equals an unsafe child — frequency, drug type, accessibility to children, and behavioral impact all matter, though neglect (not physical abuse) is the most common abuse type associated with substance use (39.7% of cases in the data cited). Reasonable discipline is not automatically physical abuse — reasonableness depends on the child's age/developmental stage, the reason for discipline, force used, where on the body, and what implement was used. On routing: if a case is already open, routine updates (safety-plan noncompliance, a UA result with no child-impact information, service non-participation) go to the caseworker, while a new type of abuse, a new incident date, or a new alleged offender goes to the hotline.

On barriers to reporting: most people (58%, per the CDC survey data cited) hesitate because they fear making things worse for the child; some (35%) fear retaliation (Oregon law protects reporter identity); others feel it's "none of my business." The training also names systemic racism in child welfare systems — disproportionate removal of Native American and Black children, and lower reunification rates — as a real and valid reason some communities distrust the system, worth acknowledging rather than dismissing if it comes up in conversation with staff or youth.

Types of Abuse — Matching Activity

Source: Mandatory Reporting/MRT Curriculum — "MRT TTT Matching Activity.pdf"

A short quiz format matching abuse-type definitions to their names — useful as a quick staff-training comprehension check: having no intention to return for or care for a child (abandonment); behavior causing physical discomfort (physical abuse); using medicine to control behavior (chemical restraint); insulting or humiliating a child (verbal/emotional abuse); not following through with needed services (medical neglect); failing to use a child's own assets to support them (financial exploitation); preventing someone from leaving (confinement); exposing a child to sexually explicit material (sexual abuse).

(Three files in this folder are Spanish-language versions of documents already captured above — "Child Abuse Reporting Flyer" (Spanish), "Child Abuse Reporting Quick Reference Card" (Spanish), and "Mandatory Reporter Training_SP.pptx" — logged as existing but not separately re-extracted, since the English-language content is equivalent. "What Can You Do About Child Abuse" (DHS 3922, full booklet) returned only a table-of-contents-level preview due to its length — Introduction, Making a Report, Warning Signs, Listen/Observe/Report, Indian Child Welfare Act, and post-report information sections were visible as headings but not the full body text; flagged for a chunked retry if full detail is wanted.)