Welcome to the Texas Abuse Hotline Website
The Department of Family and Protective Services provides this secure website for reporting suspicions of abuse, neglect and exploitation of children, adults with disabilities, or people 65 years or older.
Use this website to report situations that do not need to be investigated right away. It may take more than 48 hours to process online reports due to high volume.
Answer the questions as thoroughly as possible. The information provided must meet the definitions of abuse,neglect
or exploitation according to Texas codes in order to be sent to local DFPS investigative staff for review. A lack of descriptions and details may result in your report being closed at intake without further action.
Do not use this website to report urgent or emergency situations.
- Call the Texas Abuse Hotline (1-800-252-5400) if your situation is urgent and needs to be investigated within 24 hours.
- Call 911 or your local law enforcement agency if you have an emergency or life-threatening situation that must be dealt with immediately.
Reporting Anonymously
Effective
September 1, 2023, DFPS cannot accept anonymous reports of abuse and neglect involving children and their families.
Professional and non-professional reporters must provide a personal first and last name
and home or business phone number to meet new reporting requirements.
The law requires both a full name and phone number for the report to be accepted by DFPS. Reporting requirements are not met by providing a
business, agency, or organizational name. Anonymous reports of child abuse and neglect may be made to local and state law enforcement agencies.
Reporters' names are confidential by law.
When do I call the Texas Abuse Hotline instead of using this website?
Call the Texas Abuse Hotline when the situation is urgent. Urgent means someone faces an immediate risk of abuse or neglect that could result in death or serious harm. Call the Texas Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400 for situations including but not limited to:
- Serious injuries
- Any injury to a child 5 years or younger
- Immediate need for medical treatment (including suicidal thoughts)
- Sexual abuse where the abuser has or will have access to the victim within the next 24 hours
- Children age five and under are alone or are likely to be left alone within the next 24 hours
- Anytime you believe your situation requires action in less than 24 hours
If you are deaf, deaf-blind, hard of hearing, or speech-disabled you can call by using the relay service of your choice or by using
Relay Texas at 7-1-1. Tell the relay operator to call the Texas Abuse Hotline at (800) 252-5400.
Call the Texas Abuse Hotline if for any reason you have trouble reporting your concerns on this website.
When do I report to HHS Complaint and Incident Intake (CII) instead of the Texas Abuse Hotline?
Effective March 1, 2024, reports of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of clients in an Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with an Intellectual Disability or Related Condition (ICF/IID) facilities,
including State Supported Living Centers (SSLCs), will transition from DFPS to HHS Complaint and Incident Intake (CII). These concerns will not be investigated by DFPS.